Hello! We are Young Inspectors.

A group of young people who live, learn and socialise in Merton.

The council wants to know how COVID has affected people like us and what we want for the future.

So they handed the power to us to investigate.

To do this, we created surveys and hosted focus groups.

( TEXT ON SCREEN: 35,000 MINUTES)

Around 35 thousand minutes from over 2 thousand young people!

You’ve probably contributed through your school or youth group.

Maybe you even recognise us?

These are our findings.

This is our voice.

( TEXT ON SCREEN: This Is Our Voice )

(TEXT ON SCREEN: We spoke to over 200 young people in-person through their schools, youth or sports clubs.

This film features some of our interviews with members of Uptown Youth Club. )

( TEXT ON SCREEN: 37% WORRIED ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH)

We found that over a third of young people in Merton were worried about their mental health during lockdown.

Many of us felt bored and more anxious, either about our loved ones getting COVID-19 or falling behind at school and sports.

Many young people still rely on their friends and family for support for their mental health rather than going to GPs or Mental Health Professionals.

Young people also told us that they spent way more time looking at screens during lockdown but this was largely to keep in contact with their friends on social media apps.

Our screen time was like much longer.

I’m talking like hours!

 TEXT ON SCREEN: Amarylis; Thearsa

Like, hours a day…

Probably more than half the day on our screens, for me personally.

(Interviewer) Did that affect your sleep?

Yeah, a hundred percent.

We’d be up until like 3 o’clock in the morning

Literally!

Or like 4 o’clock in the morning just sitting there on our phones or laptops or iPads or whatever.

TikTok, YouTube

Just doing so much-

 Snapchat…

(TEXT ON SCREEN: Annemarie)

I was on my phone everyday.

It helped me to build a lot more connections with my friends.

Normally, I’d see them at school and then I wouldn’t speak to them until the next day of school but now that I’ve got them over the phone, I’m on the phone to them for about 12 hours.

I went on my phone one time and it said I was on screen time for 14 hours!

I was shocked but I think that’s just because we didn’t have nothing else to do.

It was quite boring during lockdown.

(TEXT ON SCREEN: SKIP MEALS)

One out of 10 young people said that they had to skip meals because there wasn’t enough food.

(TEXT ON SCREEN: NO MEAL ALL DAY)

Whilst 1 in 20 had to not eat for a whole day because there wasn’t enough food.

I was actually helping people get food as well.

In my household we were giving out boxes of cans and stuff to my neighbours and stuff.

So we was helping our community.

But then, I was (also) making a lot of new foods and stuff with siblings and doing a lot of cooking with them.

Yeah, I found myself… making concoctions, I guess you could call it, with food and not just food but different things, like stuff for my hair for example and baking and just found myself in the kitchen more often than usual.

Over a third of young people said that COVID-19 and lockdown had a positive impact on their relationship with family.

(TEXT ON SCREEN: 32% IMPROVED RELATIONSHIP WITH FAMILY)

We found that many young people had used this time to bond with their parents or siblings.

Many of us also relied far more on our friends for support during COVID-19.

Being around each other was a bit hectic at first.

 (TEXT ON SCREEN: Raqayah ; Tasharra)

Well, not at first, it was always like that.

Yeah, it did because it drew us closer even though we were constantly getting annoyed with each other.

We got closer and spent more time with each other.

Well, my mother was ill and she passed away in lockdown.

I really did care about her a lot so.. .

It was a bit hard for all my siblings and me in lockdown as we had an ill mum so yeah...

Her family was on my mind all the time.

Like literally.

She’d come over sometimes and she’d just say “hi” to my mum and it’s have to be either outside the door to something, it was just so long but its so lovely to see that people…

Throughout this whole journey I’ve been on there’s people still here for me.

COVID-19 really affected our education and many of us found it harder to learn online.

Especially if we were in important stages of our education such as doing exams or moving school.

Learning at home can be filled with distractions with failing WI-FI or no space to work away from family.

(TEXT ON SCREEN: 73% worried about our progress)

As a result, we found that 3 out of 4 young people were worried about falling behind or felt less confident about their learning because of COVID-19 and lockdown.

(TEXT ON SCREEN: Prince)

I feel like before lockdown was a structure obviously we had a year 7 to year 8 to year 9 and everyone was learning.

Lockdown kind of interrupted everything.

It stopped a lot of people from learning.

A lot of my friends, personally, that I know they would stop going onto online lessons and they were left far behind.

Me, myself, I was left far behind after a long 7-month period of no learning.

A first we didn’t have a laptop and the school contacted our mum asking why we was not attending our online sessions.

So they provided us with a laptop to share until we were back at school.

It was really stressful.. it was really stressful.

The subjects I found easy, I was alright with those but other subjects such as English and History I struggled with the most.

So, not being able to get the information I needed and the support I needed, it affected my grade.

Whereas,  if we wasn’t in lockdown, I could have got a better grade.

I was in Year 11 when COVID-19 happened so we didn’t really have a proper leaver’s party.

School didn’t really help with transitioning.

I don’t know if that was because of COVID-19 or they just wanted us to go but, me personally, I think they could have done better.

Like, going to a different environment, some people’s mental health and I know now, some people’s mental health is not that good.

Like they are overthinking stuff, anxiety, depression…

Young people feel safe across the borough.

(TEXT ON SCREEN: POLLARDS HILL ; COLLIERS WOOD: RAYNES PARK )

However, certain areas in the borough were seen as more unsafe and certain groups in the borough feel more unsafe.

However, certain areas in the borough were seen as more unsafe and certain groups in the borough feel more unsafe.

This was similar to our findings on the police.

Where generally young people had a positive option of the police but certain groups were more likely to have a negative opinion.

We also found that over a third of young people in Merton said that they knew someone who’s been stopped and searched.

(TEXT ON SCREEN: 9% HAVE BEEN STOPPED & SEARCHED)

While 1 in 10 had been stopped and searched themselves.

(TEXT ON SCREEN: Leon)

I see a lot of people being stopped and searched in my community.

I don’t really like how that happens a lot because normally it’s not for a good reason.

So, it’s not even to ask their awareness, if they’ve seen someone or anything and it’s just scary in general.

(TEXT ON SCREEN: We found that Black young people are 3x more likely to be stopped and searched than White young people)

It’s like they have an image of who they want to stop and you’ll see a normal pedestrian walking on the road but to the police they might seem as if they’re in a gang.

Getting stopped at 14 or 15 (years old), that’s wrong.

I personally think it’s really wrong.

I think they should live a childhood without all of that.

I feel like school kind of acted like a distraction to most people

people and once we were out of school and people had nothing to do

if they weren’t online playing games or on their phone on social media

they wanted to go outside and more people were groomed into

poorly behaved groups and it led to more delinquents in more areas.

I attend my youth club because I feel like it’s a safe area for everyone to be in.

It’s a safe environment, not really much trouble goes on and

when people are feeling down or if they’re bored

rather than going out and doing something that could get them into trouble

going there is like a get away for most people.

On the whole, we found that Merton is a great place to live.

We love our local area and we want to take more care of it.

We have vibrant local communities and we want to see young people represented, both within these communities but also in decision making about spaces for young people.

When it comes to having a voice, we found that young residents feel excluded and not listened to when it comes to decisions that impact them locally.

( TEXT ON SCREEN: 44% FEEL WE HAVE NO SAY)

Almost half of young people in Merton said that they have felt that they have no say at all in how projects and activities are designed for young people.

( TEXT ON SCREEN: Councillor Eleanor Stringer; Joint Deputy Leader, Merton Council Cabinet Member for Children and Education)

I’m so happy that we at Merton have decided to do this survey and to listen to young people.

We’ve been doing a larger Residents’ Survey and I think that’s really really important too

too but often when you do that you miss out the voices of the children and young people whose experiences might be very different.

And it’s those young people, growing up here, whose future we really care about.

So we really want their views on how we invest going forward over the next 10, 20 years in what we’re doing in Merton.

( TEXT ON SCREEN: Merton Young Inspectors & Youth Parliament came together to discuss the findings of the Youth Residents Survey and form some recommendations )

So what we really want to do is get some clear recommendations

( TEXT ON SCREEN: Young people should have regular opportunities to speak to other young people about what matters to us )

coming out of this about what Merton should be doing

to address the concerns that have come up, but also

address the positive things that people like about the borough.

Make sure we are supporting those as well.

( TEXT ON SCREEN: Young people should play a part in deciding how money is spent on youth services and activities locally )

So I’ve really enjoyed looking at the results coming through the survey

but I’m really keen and really happy to meet

the Youth Parliament, the Young Inspectors

and all those young people directly involved in this, to hear their thoughts

( TEXT ON SCREEN: Young people should be regularly updated about the work that the Council does in a format and language that is relevant to us )

and make sure that they’re telling us directly as decision makers

what they want to happen as a result of this.

( TEXT ON SCREEN: To learn more about the changes that we’re recommending or to get involved in our work *QR CODE*)

Young people have so many great ideas

of things that could really be rolled out in society and in communities.

( TEXT ON SCREEN: Samantha Hadley ; Coach, Fulham FC )

I think young people’s voices are heard to a certain degree, but at the same point, nothings followed up with that.

So they almost feel a sense of: “why should I share to start with”

when I know that no action is going to be taken as a result of that?”

and I think, when we have these conversations

when we hold youth forums

when we talk to the young people about what they want

for me, if we’re going to take the effort to listen to them,

if they do come up with a good idea, it’s for us to act upon that.

Thank you to all the 9-25 year old Merton residents who helped us to share our voices with decision makers by completing the survey or taking part in a focus group.

( TEXT ON SCREEN:

 Film Presenters – Halima Mehmood ; Denise Vidal-Candengue

Filming Location – Rutlish School

Survey Design – Anna Huk ; Toby Podger-Taylor; Lurdes De Jesus Moreno;

Focus Group Team – Lola Kareem; Halima Mehmood; Denise Vidal-Candengue

Partnership For Young London Team – Iris Bos ; Lisa Jones ; Sharon Long; Matthew Walsham

Focus Group & Interview Participants – M.A.G.I.C ; My Futures ; SHINE Project ; Rutlish School ; Merton College ; Children in Care ; Merton Connected; Carshalton College ; Bond Primary School; Youth Offending Team; Merton Young Carers; Perseid Upper School; Liberty Primary School, Uptown Youth Services; Merton Youth Parliament; Phipps Bridge Youth Club; Ricards Lodge High School; Fulham FC Lavender Park; Fulham FC Harris Academy; Fulham FC Goals Wimbledon; AFC Wimbledon Foundation; Merton Abbey Primary School; Acacia Adventure Playground; Holiday Activities and Food Programme

Film Produced By – Filmanthropy CIC )

The Martin Young Residents Survey was a multifaceted, very research project that explored the impact of COVID-19 for young residents all across matter in regards to physical health. You guys said you aren't exercising enough, you weren't going outside, you felt as though you weren't being healthy and the current pandemic really took a toll on your physical health. So as a result, we engaged in the healthy eating plan across all schools and Martin in which we're making sure that young residents are eating well balanced diet so you can properly get the best out of your education. In terms of mental health. You guys told us that it was under decline, you weren't engaging in school as much, you couldn't see your friends. There was a feeling of isolation and loneliness. As a result, the Marin Council are engaging in the mental health and well-being hub in which we really, really, really when young people to start talking to general practitioners and licensed professionals about their feelings and their mental health.

Lastly, in regards to staying safe, young residents said that they didn't feel safe, especially in particular areas of the borough. They said they didn't have the best relationship with the police and they felt as though things like stop and search were harming that relationship. So the Merton Council have been working really hard with the Met Police sort of bridge that gap and gain the report within the young people and the police.

Thank you to all the young residents that participated in the surveys. Change is being done as we speak. Continue engaging about projects in our schemes to make Martin a better place for you and me and everybody else.