A TEENAGER has helped launch two youth activist movements looking to help feed those in need in St Helens and prevent waste.
Vin Stokes, from Newton-le-Willows, who is the Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) for St Helens has successfully collaborated with the St Helens Youth council to create the youth activist movement FeedTheNeed.
FeedTheNeed looks at Food poverty/insecurity in St Helens and ways to combat it, currently having two impact projects underway.
The first is a zero-waste campaign requesting food waste from schools, small businesses and commercial shops like Asda and transporting it to Food banks across the constituency.
The second is education, where they look to educate young people about Food banks and how to apply when they need one, and also look at ways to not require that additional support, eg: budgeting and financial plans.
The group operates out of VibeUk in St Helens Hall.
Representing the town, and the movement, Vin recently visited OurPlace in Huyton to attend a Youth Focus event based on the theme of ‘raising your voices’.
There he won campaign of the year out of 300 campaigns and was a milestone for FeedTheNeed.
Vin said: “I would hear my mum constantly complaining about how food prices would go up, showing me articles where parents were struggling to feed their kids.
“This inspired me and enabled me to fight against this issue. So far we have delivered around 60 meals from schools and are currently working to reach 1,000 by the end of the year.
“We are a youth-led activist organisation and to live up to that, we copiously spend time collaborating with food banks, rallying support from schools and engaging with students in education.
“We plan to expand across the area and reach as many as we young people and families as we can.”
To find out more, go to @feedtheneedstyc
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here