5.3: What would young people change?

In the final segment of the film, the young people speak of the ways they are trying to change the system, or the changes they want to see. As already mentioned in Section 1.2, CCoM was a participatory study and, as such, producing knowledge that was change-oriented was at the core of our collaborative practices. Being provided with an opportunity to talk about was highly valued by the young people in our study.

Activity 5.3: Dreaming of change

Timing: Allow 30 minutes

Part 1

As before, listen to the young people talking about their desire for change. Think about the following questions and make notes:

  • If you could change three things in the system for young people, what would these be?
  • What kind of changes in the system could you make to support the professional-young person relationship?
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Transcript

NARRATION:
If you could change one thing in the system… what would it be?
SPEAKER 1:
I would choose the people who are working with us... asylum seekers, young people. I would train them more. Probably they are trained as a detector, as someone who gets some information and exchange with the Home Office. They are not trained to be kind and to listen to you. I would train them to be true.
Why don't you just, you know, give me a chance, and let's go outside together. Let's go to McDonald's, get a cheeseburger, and then talk. And then you will understand me.
I would give every refugee their document, their status, because they are all waiting for that stuff. I would say to Home Office, listen to the people, what they are saying. And don't close their folder. And don't shout, don't be rude!
SPEAKER 2:
If someone asked me that question, I would say I would want it to be equal for everyone. Equality. Simple respect would be but enough to not make a difference, say, between asylum or a British person or a refugee. Because if you just respect this person, that's it. That's enough.
SPEAKER 3:
While waiting for status, young people need access to education, vocational courses, fundings for things they enjoy doing, things they are interested in, learning English, and their rights. I feel like maybe the Home Office should do maybe a little more. You know, keeping people busy trying to make you forget whatever it is.
SPEAKER 4
I think, like, being somewhere where you won't be beaten, where you won't be killed, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're safe, you know? Because I believe also your mind has to be safe.
SPEAKER 5:
The way they treat young people, that is what I will change. I think they need to take care of young people more seriously. They go, "oh, we look after our young people," but then actually don't give the young people a chance to talk. They go, "oh, we don't want young people to have stress." But then you look at it. They're the ones kind of giving me stress more than anything else.
They need to have more action because they will be like, "oh yeah, you're going to do this, we are going to do that," but it's never done. They need more actions.
NARRATION:
To all unaccompanied young people: We are doing this research because we care about you. You are not alone.
(Y)our stories in this video show the impact of the UK’s hostile environment. There are clear signs that it will get worse with the 2021 ‘New Plan for Immigration’.
The injustices of ‘the system’ need to be challenged.
Thank you to all the young people who have spoken to us as part of the research. Your insights inspire us.
End transcript
 
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Part 2

After listening to these young people’s needs and desires for change, imagine and briefly describe a future session with a young person.

  • What would you keep doing?
  • What would you consider changing?

We will leave you with this final quote from one of our Young Researchers:

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‘Asylum seekers and refugees, especially them, just want to be heard. They just need to tell their story and to know that they’re actually important, valuable in the UK, because even where you go, people are treating you…when they know, like, you’re asylum, they’re treating you, “Oh, you’re nothing, you don’t have a right, you don’t have anything in this country,” and as a researcher, when I consider their opinion, your stories, when you think of… It might not change in one day, but it seems like, “Oh, we’re working on that and it might happen in a couple of years maybe.” So it’s really nice.’

5.2: Young people’s care practices and caring relationships

5.4: Section summary