Shaping the Future: Celebrating the Derby Youth Alliance

We were delighted to host our first Youth Alliance and Children & Young People's Network celebration event, 'Shaping the Future', earlier this month.

Held at Harrisons Hub, Pride Park Stadium, one of the highlights of the event was having a group photo by the Derby County pitch – a fantastic way to capture the spirit of teamwork and collaboration!

We were also honoured to welcome The Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Mrs Elizabeth Fothergill CBE, who spoke about the passion and commitment of those working in partnership to support children and young people in Derby.

Throughout the event, we heard from several partners who shared how being part of the Youth Alliance has strengthened their work, including Tracy Harrison from Safe and Sound who emphasised the importance of partnership working in addressing complex challenges. Anna Malik from Freedom Foundation spoke about the impact of the Alliance in helping expand its services, while Rebecca Perkins from Derby Moor Spencer Academy highlighted the tangible support and success it has brought to students. 

Guests also engaged in discussions to identify the most pressing challenges facing children and young people in Derby, with mental health, social media pressures, and poverty emerging as the top priorities.

Helen Britten, Programme Lead for the Youth Alliance at Community Action Derby, outlined the Alliance’s future direction and the importance of ongoing support from partners. She emphasised that contributions can take many forms, including resources, facilities, educational support, employment opportunities and life experience, as well as funding.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate the success of the Derby Youth Alliance over the last four years and helped make it such an inspiring event!

The Derby City Youth Alliance is a coalition of community organisations with the aim of working together to help support young people in Derby to be safe, develop and prosper. It was established in 2020 as a new and collaborative approach between the VCSE (Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise) sector and Derby City Council’s Stronger Communities Board.

Find out more about the Youth Alliance and Children & Young People's Network on the Derby Youth Alliance website.