Last month, two young people from Fulham Kicks and our Kicks Youth Forum were selected to represent the Club at a special Premier League Youth Summit.
Fulham FC Foundation’s Kicks participants were able to join other young people from 39 professional football club community organisations from across the country as part of the Premier League’s commitment to supporting youth voice.
The event was delivered via the Premier League Charitable Fund, and through the Premier League Kicks and Premier League Inspires programmes, with the event seeing 16 to 18-year-olds come together to share their views on the issues that are affecting them and their communities.
The event was held at Burton Albion Football Club, where the in-person summit had an overall theme of Empowering Future Leaders with the ultimate aim of encouraging young people to engage in discussions around gender equality, anti-racism, LGBTQ+ issues, and career pathways.
Alongside interactive workshops and sessions devised to support the development of key employability and leadership skills, participants at the event had the opportunity to hear from inspirational young people, including Sky Sports News reporter, Fadumo Olow, and former FA Youth Panel Chair, Nayim Ahmed.
“Children and young people are at the heart of our work and the purpose of the Premier League Charitable Fund. We believe in the power of youth to drive positive change, and we use the appeal of the Premier League and professional football to create platforms like the Premier League Youth Summit. This day is about giving young people the chance to thrive with the support of trusted and skilled adults. I’m excited to hear directly from young people about the issues affecting them, and how football can play a positive role in their schools, clubs and communities.” - Ruth Shaw OBE, Chief Executive, Premier League Charitable Fund
“Having the opportunity to represent Fulham FC once again was an honour and a privilege, meeting so many other people who have embarked on a similar journey to me and sharing stories with was an amazing part of the day. I especially liked the ‘No Room for Racism & Social Media’ workshops. I gained a lot of knowledge I never knew about. After today’s experience I can definitely use it in my football pathway and beyond.” - Levi, Fulham Kicks participant
“Attending this event was a fun and insightful experience as it’s not every day that you get to meet so many people with the same interests as you from all across the country and have the opportunity to hear about their experiences.” - Shai, Fulham Kicks participant
“This event gave us the opportunity to have our participants meet like-minded people from around the country and from different backgrounds whilst empowering them to talk about and engage with important issues in their communities. Both participants are regular attendees on our Kicks programme and Kicks Youth Forum showing their dedication to their personal growth. At Fulham FC Foundation we are keen to ensure that when the young people speak, we listen, challenge, and empower them to make positive decisions.” - Christian Thompson, Youth Engagement Officer, Fulham FC Foundation
The Premier League Youth Summit began in 2020/21 season and has been carried out online since. However, this event in Burton was the first in-person youth summit that helped positive conversations helping them tackle issues affecting their communities. More than 1,000 young people have contributed their voices for discussions to date.
To find out more about Fulham Kicks or if you would like to join a session near you, click the link below.
