Preston's young people asked about their priorities for the city as new youth strategy is developed

Their opinions will help inform Preston’s first ever youth strategy, which is designed to ensure their needs are being met and their concerns addressed.

Almost 1,500 Prestonians aged between eight and 25 have already completed a survey of their opinion, which launched late last year – but now there is a final push for as many others as possible to get involved before the closing date of 29th February.

Marc Dunne, Preston City Council’s community engagement officer, says some of the issues raised so far have “surprised” him. Without wanting to give away too much about the responses received to date before all of the information has been collated, he told the Lancashire Post that it was exactly those unheard and unseen fears that the survey was designed to uncover.

“There are definitely some things that I thought young people wouldn’t be as worried about [as they are].

“Whether it’s messaging that they are getting through the media or [being] concerned about their health, I’m seeing a change. I’m also seeing them waking up to some [issues] as well.

“[The level of engagement] has shown how passionate young people are about Preston and how they want to improve the city. Some of their concerns are worrying, but there are also positives that are already happening – and it’s about building on those,” Marc added.

The idea of developing a specific strategy for young people was born out of the Preston Youth Forum, which is made up of more than 70 organisations that are already supporting youngsters in the city. A partnership formed from within that group will devise the strategy, which will be based, in part, upon the survey responses.

Preston’s long-awaited Youth Zone is due to open next year and while Marc describes the facility as “an added bonus”, he says the time was right regardless to come up with a coherent plan for supporting the city’s children, teens and young adults – not least because of the lingering impact on them of the earlier part of the pandemic.

“I feel like it’s had a negative knock-on effect in terms of their confidence, [because of how it limited] their life experience and work experience – and just [as a result of them] not interacting with people.

“[Some of their] communication skills and [ability to] trust in people…disappeared. So it’s about slowly peeling that back and working with young people – and that will play a part in where we go with this strategy as well,” Marc explained.

He is encouraging young people from across the 8-25-year-old age range to respond and said that evidence shows young people do want to have their voices heard.

“I would say that this is a perfect opportunity for them to voice their opinions about how we can make life better for them in Preston.

“[The number of] agencies involved shows that they are being listened to – because this data is going to be seen by a lot of people in places where they’re able to make changes.”

The survey can be completed online here or by scanning the QR code on the poster in the picture above. Paper copies are also available by contacting Preston City Council.