Collective Action in Action: Young People Leading Change

One of the privileges of my role as Communities Director is bridging the gap between the world as it is and the world as it could be. I spend time in communities, listening, learning, and building relationships. On Monday 10th March, I witnessed these two worlds coming together—young people leading collective action to drive real change.

What is Collective Action?

Collective action, rooted in community organising and co-design, empowers those most affected by an issue to lead the solution. It’s built on relationships and trust, which are essential for mobilising people.

Through our impact programme, with a Link Worker building trust and relationships over two years, and the Community Team Manager building local relationships, we are then able to bring people together to take action.

In this case, a group of 17 young people—from both primary and secondary schools—formed a leadership team. They trained in community organising and listened to 200 of their peers across the estate. They also conducted 60 one-on-one meetings with local organisations - as the team of young people put it: “More people, more power.”

Noha and Maryam, students involved in the project, explained the importance of their work:

“Adults talk for us, so we never get the opportunity to use our own voices. This makes adults see most teenagers as bad people, because they made a judgement without understanding young people.This is why listening to peers and taking action is important. I find it important to listen to the people around me because if we listen to other people’s problems we can find a collective solution”

The March 10th Event: A Call to Action

On March 10th, the youth-led leadership team presented their findings to local police, NHS representatives, organisations, venues, families, and residents. Their message was clear: The local youth activity offer needs to change.

As a result, local organisations have now committed to joining a working group alongside young people to explore what changes are possible. We will be collaborating and co-leading this work alongside other key youth leaders in the area.

What’s Next?

We want to shift perceptions—helping young people believe in their ability to create change and encouraging adults to recognise their leadership. At the event’s close, young people shared how they felt:

"Brave."

"I'm not just proud of myself; I'm proud of all of us as a team"

“I feel proud because there are more people to listen to us now”

This is just the beginning. Now, we move forward together to make their vision a reality - as one local org representation said, “We can feel how much young people want and need this work to happen and we can make a difference.”

A huge thank you to Citizens UK and Community Organisers for their advice, expertise, and mentorship. With their support, we hope to keep developing community-led, impactful work.

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Written by Communities Director Kate Welsh

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