Bucks Youth Summit 2024 – Cost of Living Crisis
Format
- The Cost of Living Crisis conversation space was hosted in a bright wide corridor in The Waterside called the Promenade.
- This conversation space was hosted by Buckinghamshire Council officers from the Helping Hands team and the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, along with young facilitator and Youth Voice Executive Committee member Amrit, Juliet from Wycombe Wanderers Foundation and Ed from the Centre for Education and Youth.
- Activities centred on how young people have been affected by the Cost of Living Crisis, and support available from the Helping Hands team and the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF). HAF is a programme of free activities and food during the Christmas, Easter and Summer school breaks for eligible young people.
Read more about HAF on the Buckinghamshire Council website
- 72 young people visited The Cost of Living Crisis Space across the day.
What did young people say?
The key messages that young people shared in The Cost of Living Crisis Space 2024 are:
- Things have become so expensive, even for young people.
- We are less able to do the things we enjoy.
- We see our parents and carers struggling and are affected by the difficult choices they are forced to make.
- The food and snacks we buy have gone up in price.
- We feel worried – it’s affecting our mental health.
- We worry about our future opportunities being affected.
- Most of us were not aware of HAF, but we found the conversation interesting once it started. Lots of us are interested in attending free holiday activities like football camp.
- We enjoyed the conversations around cost of living and HAF – it’s good to talk.
So what?
- The insights that young people shared about how the cost of living crisis has affected them have been made into a document resource. This document is available to be used by adults and other young people to understand and articulate how the Cost of Living Crisis is affecting young people.
The Impact of the Cost of Living Crisis on Buckinghamshire’s Young People [PDF, 189KB]
- The insights from the conversation about the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme are being used by the HAF team to make the programme even better and more accessible for young people.
- If you are a young person interested in sharing your voice to support young people who are struggling with the cost of living crisis, consider becoming a HAF Young Ambassador!
Learn more about HAF Young Ambassadors on the Buckinghamshire Council website
Facilitators’ Quote
Dylan, HAF Coordinator and facilitator in the Cost of Living Crisis Space, said:
“The ‘Cost of Living Crisis’ conversation space was very well attended and there were some really considered and respectful conversations between young people and facilitators that created a space within which young people felt able to share their own experiences and the experiences of others in a meaningful way”
