Respect? campaign
The Respect? campaign is led by eight 16 to 24-year-olds who together form the Respect Young Peoples Advisory Group (RYPAG), supported by YouthNet and the British Youth Council (BYC). Its aim is to improve the representation of young people in the media, government and UK society as a whole, by encouraging young people to speak up, and society to listen.
The campaign was created in 2005 in response to research, commissioned by YouthNet and BYC, which showed that young people were increasingly concerned about their negative portrayal in both the media and politics. A summary of the resulting report ‘Respect? The voice behind the hood’ is downloadable here.
The key aims of the Respect? Campaign are to:
• Ensure that young people’s views are at the heart of political debate
• Challenge the use of labels (stereotypes) in media coverage and government polemic
• Encourage decision-makers to directly involve people when drawing up policy and make informed judgement on youth issues.
What’s new at the Respect? Campaign:
1. Launch of new phase to encourage young people to speak up in the media! Respect? young campaigners were joined by former BBC broadcaster and founder of YouthNet, Martyn Lewis, on Tuesday 11 November on London’s Fleet St. Martyn posed for photos with members of the Respect? Young People’s Advisory Group and a giant newspaper front-page prop.
This phase of the campaign is asking 1,000 young people to sign a pledge to speak up when they see a story in the media which affects them. The target needs to be reached by the end of January, and can be signed online here. Please contact media@youthnet.org if you would like to receive Respect? postcards and help us promote the campaign.
The launch was reported in the Guardian online, and the Guardian Society also interviewed campaign member Liam Pearce.
There are lots of fantastic pictures, which you can see if you join the Respect? Facebook group here.
2. Best practice guide for elected representatives
A guide for elected representatives (e.g. MPs, MEPs, MSPs, Cllr, AMs) on best practice for working with young people will be available in the spring of 2009.
Be part of the campaign
Speak up for young people and join the campaign. If you’re aged between 16 and 24 and want the latest news on the Respect campaign, join over 300 others on the Facebook group or email media@youthnet.org to find out how you can get involved.
Achievements so far
In the past three years the group has achieved a number of steps to help reach its goal. These include:
Lobbying outcomes:
• The government’s new youth strategy: Aiming high for young people: A 10 year strategy for positive activities acknowledged the Respect? research on page 4
• Early Day Motion (EDM) 1885 was tabled by the New Chair of the Labour party and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs (Dawn Butler MP) on July 11th 2007. It calls for an end to negative representation, is still open and (to date) has secured 115 signatories.
Media & PR
• In November 2008, Sophie Manning was interviewed on the BBC News Channel about young people’s representation in the media and her work with the Respect? group, following a report produced by Barnardo’s children charity that cited Respect? research, and also for an article in the Toronto Star of Canada.
• The November 2008 launch was reported in the Guardian Unlimited, and the Society Guardian interviewed Respect? campaigner Liam Pearce, as well being covered in regional papers and news websites.
• The EDM communications plan was implemented to galvanise young people to lobby MPs to support the motion, and as a result stories appeared in local and regional, local and online media including Community Newswire, politics.co.uk, the BYC Bullet, Young People Now, BBC Online (Shropshire), Derry Journal, Smooth FM and the NCVYS Strategic Information Bulletin
• New content was developed for YouthNet.org, TheSite.org & byc.org.uk to update supporters on campaign progress and enable young people to email their MP (add in link)
• Press releases included New Vice-Chair of the Labour Party joins young people’s fight to end negative representation (11/07) and MPs join young people’s fight to end negative representation (11/07)
• Blogging included YouthNet’s participation in The Media Standards Trust debate on the media portrayal on youth crime.
Further information:
• Visit the Pledge website and sign-up: PledgeBank
• Join the Facebook group
• For more information on the campaign, or to request an interview with a member of the group, please contact Sarah Wilson, Media and PR Manager for YouthNet on 0207 250 5716 or email media@YouthNet.org
Respect? report
The key aims of the Respect? Campaign are to:
• Ensure that young people’s views are at the heart of political debate
• Challenge the use of labels (stereotypes) in media coverage and government polemic
• Encourage decision-makers to directly involve people when drawing up policy and make informed judgement on youth issues.
What’s new at the Respect? Campaign:
1. Launch of new phase to encourage young people to speak up in the media! Respect? young campaigners were joined by former BBC broadcaster and founder of YouthNet, Martyn Lewis, on Tuesday 11 November on London’s Fleet St. Martyn posed for photos with members of the Respect? Young People’s Advisory Group and a giant newspaper front-page prop.
This phase of the campaign is asking 1,000 young people to sign a pledge to speak up when they see a story in the media which affects them. The target needs to be reached by the end of January, and can be signed online here. Please contact media@youthnet.org if you would like to receive Respect? postcards and help us promote the campaign.
The launch was reported in the Guardian online, and the Guardian Society also interviewed campaign member Liam Pearce.
There are lots of fantastic pictures, which you can see if you join the Respect? Facebook group here.
2. Best practice guide for elected representatives
A guide for elected representatives (e.g. MPs, MEPs, MSPs, Cllr, AMs) on best practice for working with young people will be available in the spring of 2009.
Be part of the campaign
Speak up for young people and join the campaign. If you’re aged between 16 and 24 and want the latest news on the Respect campaign, join over 300 others on the Facebook group or email media@youthnet.org to find out how you can get involved.
Achievements so far
In the past three years the group has achieved a number of steps to help reach its goal. These include:
Lobbying outcomes:
• The government’s new youth strategy: Aiming high for young people: A 10 year strategy for positive activities acknowledged the Respect? research on page 4
• Early Day Motion (EDM) 1885 was tabled by the New Chair of the Labour party and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs (Dawn Butler MP) on July 11th 2007. It calls for an end to negative representation, is still open and (to date) has secured 115 signatories.
Media & PR
• In November 2008, Sophie Manning was interviewed on the BBC News Channel about young people’s representation in the media and her work with the Respect? group, following a report produced by Barnardo’s children charity that cited Respect? research, and also for an article in the Toronto Star of Canada.
• The November 2008 launch was reported in the Guardian Unlimited, and the Society Guardian interviewed Respect? campaigner Liam Pearce, as well being covered in regional papers and news websites.
• The EDM communications plan was implemented to galvanise young people to lobby MPs to support the motion, and as a result stories appeared in local and regional, local and online media including Community Newswire, politics.co.uk, the BYC Bullet, Young People Now, BBC Online (Shropshire), Derry Journal, Smooth FM and the NCVYS Strategic Information Bulletin
• New content was developed for YouthNet.org, TheSite.org & byc.org.uk to update supporters on campaign progress and enable young people to email their MP (add in link)
• Press releases included New Vice-Chair of the Labour Party joins young people’s fight to end negative representation (11/07) and MPs join young people’s fight to end negative representation (11/07)
• Blogging included YouthNet’s participation in The Media Standards Trust debate on the media portrayal on youth crime.
Further information:
• Visit the Pledge website and sign-up: PledgeBank
• Join the Facebook group
• For more information on the campaign, or to request an interview with a member of the group, please contact Sarah Wilson, Media and PR Manager for YouthNet on 0207 250 5716 or email media@YouthNet.org
Respect? report