Alliance’s work to support young people celebrated

A coalition of community organisations set up to support young people in Derby has held an event to celebrate its impact – and establish its future direction.

The Derby City Youth Alliance was founded in 2020 to help support young people in Derby to be safe, develop and prosper.

Recently, it staged its first Youth Alliance and Children & Young People’s Network celebration event called ‘Shaping the Future’.

Held inside Harrisons Hub, at Derby County’s Pride Park Stadium, among the special guests was The Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Elizabeth Fothergill CBE, who spoke about the passion and commitment of those working in partnership to support children and young people in Derby.

The event heard from several partners who shared how being part of the Youth Alliance had strengthened their work, including Tracy Harrison from Safe and Sound, who emphasised the importance of partnership working in addressing complex challenges.

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 could take many forms, including resources, facilities, educational support, employment opportunities and life experience, as well as funding.

She said: “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.”