On 11 March, three young members of Woodcraft Folk attended the All Party Parliamentary Group for Youth Affairs at the Houses of Parliament. Two Pioneers from Waltham Abbey and Harlow and a Venturer from South Norwood were supported by two adults to attend the APPG meeting. The meeting was focused on ensuring that issues that impact young people are heard and will be taken into account and used during the development of the new National Youth Strategy.
During the meeting, Fred and Tom Bailey from Waltham Abbey and Harlow were fortunate enough to speak and have their voices heard. The pair spoke about their experiences at Woodcraft Folk in their local group as well as their experiences as part of Kids Got Rights international project 2020 – 2022 with partners from IFM-SEI. Tom and Fred spoke about how many visas for participants to attend Common Ground international camp in 2022 were rejected by the home office and the impact this had on cultural sharing and project development.
Other youth organisations also had young speakers who spoke about the impact of social media on young people’s mental health, the cost of living and issues around accessibility.
“I felt lucky to have my voice heard and hope other people can go to future meetings to share their thoughts. It was cool being inside the House of Parliament” – Fred Bailey, age 12.
After Tom and Fred’s speech they were advised by Natasha Irons MP who was chairing the meeting to write to their local MP about the visa issues and find out how we could have their voices heard in preparation for Woodcraft Folk’s upcoming international camp this summer to celebrate the centenary of the organisation.
Following their visit to Parliament, Fred and Tom wrote a letter to their local MP in Enfield and have had a meeting with Feryal Clark MP who will take their letter about the importance of cultural sharing and working with youth organisations in other countries to the Home Office questions.
Woodcraft Folk want to encourage others to write to their local MPs about the fact that currently international youth groups need to submit individual applications to visit the UK using the traditional Visitor Visa application route. This system is fundamentally incompatible with youth work and cultural exchange projects. Visitor Visa applications are accessed in isolation, resulting in some members of a group getting a visa and others being rejected. Many young people can not demonstrate the personal financial sustainability required to attract a Visitor Visa.