Recruitment and training: Working closely with local organisations, we recruited a diverse group of young adults aged 16-25 years from across England and Wales. Through a series of practical sessions, we supported Youth Panel members to acquire knowledge about the police complaints system and build skills in public speaking, interviewing and active listening, in order to gather and represent the views of other young people.
Co-design: We worked with Youth Panel members and the IOPC to define the vision and mission of the Youth Panel. Through a process of co-design, the Panel members created communications and peer engagement events to engage other young people across England and Wales.
Production of flyer and film: Panel members developed pieces of media to support their events and engage their target audiences. These took the form of a flyer with accessible information on how and why to make a complaint and a short film featuring Panel members in conversation with the IOPC Director General.
Peer engagement events across England & Wales: Our peer-to-peer approach enabled the Youth Panel to collate honest, unfiltered insights from hard-to-reach and minority groups who might otherwise be wary of engaging with the IOPC. We held events in a wide range of education and community settings across England and Wales. In total, we engaged 800 young people in meaningful conversations about how to increase confidence in the police complaints system.
Analysis and recommendations: The findings of the engagement events were captured in a structured way and, at the final meeting, the Youth Panel gathered to synthesise these into a clear and viable set of recommendations for the IOPC.
Final presentation and report: At the culmination of the project, the Youth Panel presented their key findings and recommendations to an audience of IOPC and external stakeholders.
