Children’s voices are at the heart of everything we do. Railway Children empowers vulnerable young people to speak out about the issues they face, help shape our support work and lead meaningful change in their communities.
Supporting young leaders
At Railway Children, we work in a variety of ways to protect children at risk of abuse and exploitation.
But real, long-lasting change is about more than just immediate intervention.
We believe young people have the power to change their lives, their communities and in turn, the world. And they’re best placed to help inform how we can support them.
So across India, Tanzania and the UK, we run a range of initiatives giving young people the tools they need to transform their lives and help others do the same.
Masters of their own destiny
In Tanzania, young people are leading positive, sustainable change through our Youth Association groups.
Our youth workers equip members with life skills, leadership skills and citizenship education, empowering them to collaborate on a range of social projects.
At the core, these groups are support networks where members can lean on each other and inspire one another to transform their lives for the better. Many go on to make a real difference, as members speak out about the issues affecting their communities and take positive action.
Over the last decade, we’ve supported 87 Youth Association groups, helping thousands of young people become self-reliant, valued members of their communities.
One group of 15 young people led a civil engagement project, where they collected and analysed issues raised by members of the community and brought them to the police.
Thanks to these incredible young people, the police force dedicated a team of officers to work alongside the community and address their concerns.
Support for young people designed by young people
In the UK, we work closely with young people to make sure our support approaches are accessible, engaging and match their needs.
Through our Youth Participation Programme, we use young people’s lived experience to shape our support work and make transport networks safer for children.
Our Youth Participation forums are a safe space for young people from our support programmes to share their stories and help us make a difference.
So far, they’ve helped redesign British Transport Police’s crisis packs, helped us design our welcome packs for young people entering our service and developed our Youth Platform.
Recently, young people helped us develop our Mystery Shopper project to recommend ways to make train stations and rail networks safer and more youth friendly.
Some members go on to become Youth Ambassadors, with the power to further take ownership and influence our work. They receive training, have the opportunity to sit on British Transport Police scrutiny panels, participate in our Safeguarding Action Groups and take part in networking and public speaking opportunities.
One of our Youth Ambassadors recently gave a speech at the launch of our new Glasgow project about his experience with us. It was a resounding success – senior rail industry representatives were very impressed, and we couldn’t be prouder!
All power to the girls!
In Delhi, our outreach workers meet children every day on the railway platforms who come from slum communities alongside the tracks. Few of the children attend school – many of the girls take care of the home while boys get drawn into child labour.
One group of girls decided to take their future into their own hands. They call themselves: The Power Girls.
These incredible teen girls meet every month at our Child Activity Centre in the Tulsi Nagar slum community in Delhi to discuss issues affecting the children in their communities and exchange aspirations.
Our activity centres offer classes in self-awareness, leadership, and life skills to vulnerable children, so they can develop life-skills and express themselves.
Together, The Power Girls raise awareness about issues like child marriage and empower other girls to learn more about themselves and work toward their dreams.
Ria*, one of the Power Girls, has become a bold leader with the confidence to educate others so that more children like her get the chance to transform their lives.
Young people are the real experts, not us. That’s why we work hard to amplify their voices, help them take ownership of the challenges they face and work together to create a safer, brighter future.
*Names changed and models used to protect identities.