Shifting the power to young people

Yasmin talks about her experience as a Future Changemaker

He scrolls through his notifications, searching for nothing. He does this for hours on end, leaving a permanent glare on his face.

Weekly report available: Your screen time was up 15% last week, for an average of 9 hours, 25 minutes a day

That’s 9 hours and 25 minutes not spent learning at school or laughing with friends or visiting family. Now he passes time idly, double-tapping the endless posts, wondering how everyone except him seems productive.

Things have changed quite dramatically over the past few weeks. We’ve all felt a huge change in our day-to-day lives. There have been many studies into the negative impacts of social media on the mental health of younger people. Under the current circumstances, this conversation becomes even more important.  

 However, we can appreciate that technology has played a key role in adapting to our new reality. Most learning has now moved online, and we can use social media to keep informed and stay in touch with friends and family.

A little while before the first case of the Coronavirus was announced in the UK, I heard about a role at Camden Giving. I was drawn in by the powerful name – Future Changemakers. I’ve lived in Camden my entire life and have witnessed some of the hardships faced by younger people. There was sense of powerlessness against these issues and all that felt we could do was try to support each other through them.

 The Future Changemakers fund, with a panel made up entirely by young Camden residents, offered a very empowering opportunity to make a real difference in Camden. I was excited by the idea of being actively involved in funding decisions for youth projects that would have a positive impact in my borough.

Young people in Camden face very unique challenges and in conversation with my fellow Future Changemakers many of these came to light, such as knife crime, unemployment and drug misuse. We created a safe space to share our own experiences. We also considered issues that may have been born during lockdown or exaggerated by the likes of social isolation, school closure and widespread job cuts, leaving many households and the young people in them very vulnerable.

 For me, being a Future Changemaker at a time like this is invaluable. I am thankful to have met such dynamic people, bound together by our common goal to help protect Camden’s youth. Despite the range in age, background and local area within Camden, empathising with each other was effortless.

 In these uncertain times, most of our ‘normal’ lives have been put on hold indefinitely. We hope to fund projects that power on through tough times and adapt to suit the needs of young people in Camden, delivered in the safest way possible.

 We wish for these projects to have long lasting impacts, serving as a reminder of our resilience. Camden’s future is bright. With a community that bands together and invests in helping young people realise their potential, we can make it even brighter.