My role at the 2019 youth justice convention
We catch up with Taylor and Kaynno, Peer Support Navigators working at the charity Youth Ink.
Youth Ink is an innovative involvement charity that works with children and young people in and around the justice system. They were involved in helping us shape the 2019 youth justice convention and are among our network of stakeholders. Click here to find out more about our stakeholder groups, including how to get involved.
Taylor said:
“Being a part of the YJB was a great experience for me and working at Youth Ink has changed my life.
“It has allowed me to meet with a group of people that I wouldn’t have thought possible, for a young man like me. I feel as though my voice is important and that the opinion of my community is important. It was a great experience going to the YJB convention and being able to run my own workshop with colleagues, it is something I will never forget.”
Kaynno said:
“This was my first experience of being involved in anything like this I did not even know that I could be part of the YJB because I am young black person who has had a lot of experience with the police and youth offending teams (YOTs).
“When I was asked to join Youth Ink I didn’t know anything about it apart from it was led by young people like me from my community and the person who created Youth Ink was an ex-offender, the same as me, that’s what drew me to Youth Ink. I learned that by being part of Youth Ink I was able to get my voice heard and help other people my community, like my brothers. I am 20 years old and had never had a job. This was my first proper job and I didn’t know I had the experience to work with police, the YJB and YOTs. I didn’t know that my lived experience was valuable.
“In 2019 I attended the Youth Justice Convention I was on the main stage discussing my experience and how we can support other young people like me. It felt brilliant that so many people were willing to hear me and that it mattered. I also led my own workshop, it was a brilliant experience and an opportunity to meet so many people and all my colleagues supported me. Andrew the boss of Southwark Youth Offending Service said, ‘Thank you’. That made me smile when I spoke to my family about my job involving working with YOTs and the police. They are very proud of me because I am no longer in ‘that life’.”