The Joined Up Summit, in Birmingham on Thursday, November 7, will see leaders and decision-makers from the worlds of employment, social care, criminal justice, business and the Government – including keynote speaker Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England – as well as health, education and youth work, join 16-25-year-olds to build a brighter future for young people, by putting their needs first.
The day promises to be full of connection, inspiration, discovery, learning and creativity. The agenda – co-created by young producers – is based around the four themes of Our Potential, Our Communities, Our Power and Our Wellbeing. Sessions and workshops include: #BeeWell, a youth-centred programme demonstrating the power of listening to young people at scale, #iwill, a movement of young people leading positive change in their communities and Right to Succeed’s Cradle to Career North Birkenhead community-led programme improving education and social care outcomes for the community.
There will also be performances, including from COREus, a vocal group made up from students from across the Birmingham-based CORE Education Trust, and Nathan Parker, a spoken word artist with a background in youth work.
Ndidi Okezie OBE, chief executive officer of national youth work charity UK Youth, which is convening the event, said: “Over the years, if there’s one thing that has become crystal clear to me, it’s that we can’t continue to try to solve society’s biggest challenges while operating in a fragmented system of silos.
“Whether it’s youth work, education, healthcare, social justice, or business, the barriers to sustained progress are often rooted in the fact that we are working at cross purposes with little understanding or respect for the unique role of other professionals.
“But I’m not just talking about it — UK Youth is stepping up to answer this urgent call for change. I’m passionate about the upcoming Joined Up Summit, an event designed to bring people across sectors together to tackle the underlying issues we’re all facing.
“The challenges facing our society are too complex, too interconnected, to be addressed in isolation. It’s time to break down the walls, to embrace a more holistic vision of social change. The future of our communities – indeed, the future of our society – depends on our ability to join up our thinking and our actions.”
Dame Rachel, the keynote speaker at the event, said: “During my time as commissioner, I have heard from more than a million children about their hopes, dreams and aspirations for the future, and crucially how they want politicians and policy-makers to listen to their views.
“I am excited to take these challenges to the heart of government and decision-makers because the voice of a child is powerful, but the voice of a million children is undeniable.”
The free event is funded by KKR, Osborne Clarke, The Prudence Trust, the Youth Futures Foundation and the National Citizen Service.