Young People In Bath Invited To Join Fixers Movement

Young people in Bath are being invited to join the national movement of young people ‘fixing’ the future.

Set to become a powerful household name, Fixers is aiming to recruit 20,000 young people across the UK over the next three years to tackle the issues they feel strongly about.

The award-winning project – which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund – has already supported around 7,800 young people to make a difference.

Leading the call to action locally is Fixers’ Young Person’s Co-ordinator Jodie Tellam.

Jodie helps each Fixer to identify the best way to fix their issue, and shape their project to a successful outcome.

She said: “The voice of young people is often ignored or remains unheard when it comes to important social issues.”

“Fixers gives young people the opportunity to make a positive contribution in their communities through creative projects. It also gives them a voice in society which ensures that their opinions are being heard.”

“Through designing and implementing creative social action projects, young people are empowered to realise their potential for creating positive social change. It inspires me!”

Across Bath and the West, young people are already fixing a wide range of issues from raising awareness of dyspraxia, domestic violence and bullying to celebrating local libraries and encouraging people to recycle their unwanted clothes.

How each Fixer tackles their chosen issue is up to them – as long as they benefit someone else.

Many Fixers choose to make a film, music video, run workshops or hold an event to encourage change in their communities.

The new skills and confidence they acquire have often seen them go on to achieve far greater things.

So far Fixers have set up their own charities, become spokespeople on their specialist subjects and won national awards.

The Daily Mail and Cosmopolitan are among the national publications which have recently included special features on Fixers’ stories.

Fixers was established as a project of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust in 2008.

“Fixers started in 2008 as just an idea… an idea since given a voice by around 7,800 young people over the past five years,” said Margo Horsley, Chief Executive of PSBT.  “They have reached thousands of people with their work, on a national stage as well as in and around where they live.

“Now, as Fixers continues to grow across the UK, I’m excited to see how young people throughout the country address the full array of social and health issues facing society today and set about making their mark.  I’m sure their ideas will be challenging, inspirational and even life-changing.”

Peter Ainsworth, Big Lottery Fund UK Chair, said: “The Big Lottery Fund is extremely proud to be supporting Fixers to engage with more young people to change things for the better. Fixers has a tremendous potential – one young person’s initial idea can be transformed into reality, spread across a community and make a positive influence on a wide range of people.

“There are thousands of young people campaigning to make improvements in their neighbourhoods and Fixers provides a platform to highlight their voluntary work and many achievements.”

To find out more about Fixers, visit www.fixers.org.uk