Thirty young people from the Aston Villa Foundation’s Premier League Kicks programme took part in the Premier League Youth Summit earlier this month.
The participants virtually joined hundreds of young people from across England and Wales, representing 61 professional football club community organisations who have been empowered by the Premier League and professional football clubs, to share their views on the issues that are affecting them and their communities.
Held at BBC Media City in Salford, and delivered in partnership with BBC Children in Need, the annual summit encouraged 11-18-year-olds to engage in discussions around equality, diversity, and inclusion.
The Premier League Youth Summit began in the 2020/21 season, with the aim of involving and supporting young people in positive conversation while empowering them to tackle issues that affect their communities. More than 1,000 young people have contributed to the discussions to date.
“It is so pleasing to see young people express their views and share their opinions on topics that are so relevant to them."
Ian Robinson
Interventions Co-ordinator at the Foundation
The summit brought together young people from across the Premier League Kicks community programme – including those taking part in one-on-one Kicks Targeted support sessions and the female empowerment activity of Changemakers. The participants involved also contributed to discussions on community safety and youth employment in their area.
Kieron has been involved in the Foundation’s Kicks programme for three years, and he has benefitted from involvement in the summit.
He said: “It has been great sharing our views on things like EDI, community safety, youth violence, and employment.”
Ian Robinson, Interventions Co-ordinator at the Foundation, said: “The summit has given participants the opportunity to be heard.
“It is so pleasing to see young people express their views and share their opinions on topics that are so relevant to them."
The Aston Villa Foundation delivers Kicks sessions across Birmingham, engaging with over 1,400 participants every year.
The aim of the programme is to increase the number of young people developing a sporting habit for life, create youth-led responsive projects, and promote a culture of volunteering.
Premier League Kicks
For more information about how you can get involved with the Foundation's Kicks programme, please contact Kate Roberts.
