YOUNG people from Bodmin-based youth centre KBSK joined Minister Stephanie Peacock MP and Alex McIntyre MP in Parliament to celebrate the Youth Investment Fund’s impact on their lives. KBSK is one of 276 youth centres funded by the UK Government’s £300-million Youth Investment Fund.

KBSK, a youth and dance organisation, received a Youth Investment Fund grant to build a brand-new youth centre called The Space. The funding enabled the organisation to expand its services.

Young people and youth workers from KBSK were part of a group of over 30 young people aged 10 to 19 who gathered in Parliament with minister Peacock and MPs to celebrate the legacy of the fund.

Young people were invited by the charity Social Investment Business, who delivered the Youth Investment Fund in partnership with the UK Government.

For some of KBSK’s young people and staff, it was their first time in London and the Houses of Parliament. They described it as a “truly life-changing experience.”

At the event, young people shared their experiences of being empowered to shape their newly funded youth centres and why it’s vital to keep young people in the driving seat in future policy and funding developments that affect them.

Earlier in the day young people and youth workers participated in a workshop, drawing on their insights and lived experience to contribute to the Youth Services Bill, currently moving through parliament.

They were joined by Dr Lauren Sullivan MP, a co-sponsor of the Bill. Dr Sullivan commended young people for shaping their new youth centres and encouraged them to “use their voice” to actively influence the Youth Services Bill by meeting local MPs in their surgeries..

Reflecting on KBSK’s visit to Parliament, one of the youth workers said: “One of our young people shared the reality of growing up in Cornwall, not the postcard image people often see, but the challenges behind it: poverty, anti-social behaviour and the lack of opportunity.

“To see them speak directly to MPs about what really matters to them was something we will never forget. It wasn’t just a trip. It was youth voices being heard. Young people stepping into spaces they’ve been told weren’t for them and totally owning it.”

Nick Temple OBE, chief executive at Social Investment Business said “It’s been a privilege to deliver the Youth Investment Fund: a substantial vote of confidence in young people and youth work. And every youth centre we’ve funded has been shaped by young people, creating safe and modern spaces that they can truly identify with. It was a real joy to celebrate those collective achievements.”

“It’s a huge success that more than one in seven young people is now in walking distance of a Youth Investment Fund supported service, but there is still much more to do. Cold spots persist in nearly half of local authority areas and more investment is needed to close the gap. We look forward to seeing much more investment in young people in the years to come.”