We identified in Knaresborough Voice that young people had not been provided with the opportunity to contribute to the vision for the future. We have worked in partnership with Inspire Youth Yorkshire to secure funding from UK Shared Prosperity fund to establish a youth vision and voice for the future.

We engaged with King James School Student Council to establish a project where we could capture young peoples views on Knaresborough’s community, their vision for the future and their priorities.

We have engaged with 339 through a survey to understand young peoples views.

Download the findings here

Download the Youth Futures Artwork here

Watch the video here

Through our consultation we found that:

• 339 young people completed the survey.
• 50 (14.75%) young people identified as being from an Ethnic Minority.
• 330 of the young people were aged 12-15, meaning that there were gaps in age ranges
• Female and Non-Binary young people expressed more barriers and concerns within the survey then Male young people.
• 44% felt neither connected or disconnected to their community, 20% felt disconnected.
• 60% of young people felt that there were NOT enough opportunities within their community, while 50% felt there were not enough opportunities to socialise.
• More places for young people was identified throughout the survey, specifically to support community engagement and safety.
• Work experience was a key objective for young people to support their social skills and engage in the community.
• Young people identified places to support their physical health in the community, but they did not identify where they can get support for mental health and expressed lack of confidence as the biggest barrier for them.
• 63% of young people do NOT feel safe at night and highlighted better lighting as the biggest solution
• More then a 3rd of young people have experienced cyber bullying
• 62% of young people felt that the town did not take environmental issues seriously.
• Young people identified the town and scenery as their favourite part of Knaresborough which showed a pride in the place they live in.
• Finally, young people identified societal issues such as cost of living and the environment as the biggest priorities for the town to focus on above social opportunities an entertainment.

The next phase will see the Youth Council which is ran by Inspire Youth Yorkshire and Yorkshire Create and supported by Knaresborough Town Council, implement the artwork and findings to make the town more youth friendly.