Meeting the Minister
We were really excited to welcome the Minister of State for School Standards, Georgia Gould, to the Collective Get Together.
Georgia spent time listening to young people and hearing about their experiences, ideas and hopes. It was a great chance for young people to speak directly to someone who helps make decisions that affect them.
Watch the Q&A video with Minister Gould
After the event, young people asked the Minister two questions:
What was your key takeaway from the day?
What impact has today’s discussion had on you?
What did we do?
During the day, there were three main activities. Each one looked at a different part of inclusion and youth voice.
Making inclusion a reality
We talked about what makes a school truly inclusive.
Young people shared ideas about what schools, teachers and other services can do to remove barriers and make sure everyone feels welcome, understood and able to take part.
We wrote these ideas on wooden planks and used them to build bridges towards a model school.
It showed that there isn’t just one thing that makes a school inclusive. Lots of different things need to work together to make sure young people can learn, take part and thrive.
Flying the flag for youth voice
Next, we celebrated the different ways young people are already using their voices.
We made colourful flags and shared our experiences of speaking up. We talked about:
- Who they had spoken to
- What they had shared
- What happened afterwards
The future of youth voice
The final activity explored what helps youth voice grow and what can get in the way.
We looked at:
- What helps youth voice thrive
- What can hold it back
- What could make it sink
- What principles should guide it
- What can help it grow
Young people shared their thoughts in boxes around a big piece of paper shaped like a ship.
We talked about things that can make it harder to have your voice heard and what could make it better.
Growing our ideas together
Throughout the day, we added our ideas to a big tree.
🍃 Leaves showed ideas about making schools more inclusive.
☁️ Storm clouds showed things that can make it harder for young people to have their voices heard.
☀️ Sun rays showed what helps youth voice grow.
By the end of the day, the tree was full of ideas and experiences from young people.
The Kids Advisory Panel also led a final discussion where everyone came together to talk about the things we had learned.
What did young people say?
"Inclusion starts with understanding, respect and the right support."
"Young people need adults to listen, take us seriously and act on what we say."
"We should be involved from the beginning when decisions are being made about things that affect us."
What happens next?
The ideas shared during the Collective Get Together will continue to be shared with partners and decision-makers.
The Collective is all about giving young people with SEND a space to come together, share their experiences and speak up about the things that matter to them.
Your voice matters. And when people listen and take action, it can make a difference.
Interested in joining The Collective?
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