Young People Empowered

Residents involved with the Local People project in Brent are creating a local network of young volunteers interested in developing their own skills, and wanting to make a difference in their community.

When the project first started, one of the priorities that emerged from the community was to encourage young people, particularly girls, to get involved in social action.

The Local People project in Brent, supported by Youth Sport Trust, is funded by People’s Health Trust, using money raised by HealthHope, through The Health Lottery.

The project works with students at Capital who are proactively engaging with the wider community about what they would like to see happen.

Fatima, has been involved with the project since the beginning and is a member of the Local People project’s steering group now.

Although comfortable around her peers, she was quite shy in new situations, and the project has really helped her with that.  

Fatima said: “Working with someone else gave me the confidence to try new things, and then I was encouraged to lead activities myself - it gave me a sense of connection with my community.”

“I began to promote my sessions when meeting the other girls, encouraging them to attend and pointing out the benefits of activity. I was also encouraged to talk to other young people – it was really empowering.”

Chris said: “Fatima has encouraged girls to attend sessions, and some have accepted Fatima’s friendly guiding hand to help them make the transition from after-school to community activities."