The Big Conversation: Poverty

British Youth Council

The Big Conversation is a half day event where BYC members come together to discuss issues of great importance to young people today. 

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We look forward to seeing you on the 30th! Additional information will be sent to you prior to the Big Conversation.

The British Youth Council believes that children and young people should not have to live in poverty in the UK - every young person should have a decent standard of living, independent of their economic status. Having missed their target of ending child poverty by 2020, we believe the UK Government must take immediate action and set new targets for the eradication of child poverty in the near future. In support of this, the UK Government must support child benefits and increase the rate received for younger children to the same rate received for the oldest child. Larger families are more likely to be in poverty and raising the child benefit level for the younger children in a large family is a simple and direct way of increasing vital support. We believe that health care and nutrition are major factors for a young person living in poverty. All young people and students should be entitled to free health, dental care and prescriptions and period products. There should be free school meals for all young people to ensure that every young person receives at least one balanced meal per day. All young people should have access to digital services and skills, as in an increasingly digital age, those who are not engaging effectively with the digital world are at risk of being left behind.We invite you to join us for an afternoon of discussion, debate and big conversations! The afternoon will be split into three main sections, tackling the topics of 1. Period poverty, 2. Free schools meals and holiday hunger and 3. The digital divide. Period poverty is a barrier preventing participation of menstruating people. To further progress towards gender equality, this problem must be addressed. We call on governments across the UK, alongside local authorities, educational establishments, youth organisations and other decision makers, to assess the issue of period poverty ensuring that sufficient supplies, support, and education are provided at no cost to those at risk of, or currently experiencing period poverty. We believe that to ensure all students have the right conditions to succeed and thrive in their education, they must not have the fear of not receiving food at any time in their childhood including during the school holidays.The impact of the pandemic is likely to increase the need for free school meals for even more families, potentially for years to come.. This year, the government issued vouchers valued at £15 per child per week to compensate for the lack of free school meals. We call on the government to ensure the voucher scheme is continued for every school holiday in the future so that no child is left hungryTechnological change means that digital skills are increasingly important for connecting with others, accessing information and services and meeting the changing demands of the workplace and economy. This is leading to a digital divide between those who have access to information and communications technology and those who do not, giving rise to inequalities in access to opportunities, knowledge, services and goods. Due to online lessons as a result of the pandemic young people now also face being left behind in education. Details of speakers and a full agenda yet to come! Secure your place early through the Eventbrite registration and BYC registration below: Young people who wish to attend must fully complete the BYC&#x27;s registration process and consent form signed by a parent/guardian which can be completed via this link -&gt; Register: <a href="https://bit.ly/20YouthRepRegistration" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://bit.ly/20YouthRepRegistration</a>Click here for full registration instructions: <a href="https://www.byc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Youth-Rep-Registration-Process.pdf" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.byc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Youth-Rep-Registration-Process.pdf</a><a href="https://www.byc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Youth-Rep-Registration-Process.pdf" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The latest deadline is the 25th of January 2021. </a>

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The Big Conversation: Poverty

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The Big Conversation: Poverty

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