Breaking down barriers

Young people's input is vital for healthy communities. By Children's Express

If anything good came out of the civil unrest and racial conflict that flared up in Oldham, Burnley and Bradford over the summer of 2001, it was an acknowledgement that things had to change. Crucially, young people had a part to play in the healing process – as John Denham, Minister for Young People, was quick to point out: "If young people find ways of meeting together, working together and enjoying themselves and tackling problems together, then they will grow up in towns and cities together."

This recognition that young people should have a greater say in their identity and in politically shaping their communities was at the heart of the Community Cohesion Seminar held in Smith Square on 28 November.

In the wake of the riots last year, the Children and Young People's Unit approached Peacemaker, an Oldham-based community organisation which had been working with young people from different backgrounds to break down cultural and racial barriers.

The resulting video, Colour Blind, formed the basis of the seminar for wider discussion between youth delegates from Europe, as well as politicians, in a series of workshops on community inclusion and the role young people have in the political process. The video featured people from seven towns and cities talking about their sense of national identity and will be produced as a training pack for teachers and youth workers.

Raja Miah, co-ordinator for Peacemaker, was quick to recognise that cultural interaction is vital to community strength. "Interestingly enough, in areas of conflict in our country where there is the risk of clash between communities and also where communities live and grow in isolation, that interaction doesn't take place," he said.

"It seemed natural to use a positive example out of a town where the riots had taken place. We can go into Oxford and get a couple of graduates to do it, but it just wouldn't be as real."

This need for reality and practical outcomes in individual communities was echoed by the young delegates at the conference. Germany's Marco Fitzal, 16, commented: "One instance was participation in the Youth Forum in Berlin which ended up just being a discussion. We talked about a lot of things, but at the end of the day nothing was changed."

This conference was a shared gathering of information, experience and opinion, endorsed by Jetze Van Der Ham, 23, from the Netherlands. "The best way to do that is to have young people talk to other young people, to have peer education," he said.

It was also a wake-up call for action. There was a determination among the youth delegates that follow-up opportunities should not be lost, whether that should be training workshops related to the Colour Blind video, representation at National Youth Council and Ministry level, or promotional material in youth magazines.

Sue Lewis, deputy director of the CYPU, talked of the need for following through, while Jitinder Kohli, head of the Government's Community Cohesion Unit, recognised the need for positive action. "There is a lot of listening going on," he said, "but is there any evidence that we change our behaviour as a result of that? That's what we've got to prove, otherwise we lose our credibility."

This article was produced by Louise Hardy, 16, Jasmine Stewart, 15, and Sabrina Golding, 15