Peer Action Collective

The Peer Action Collective (PAC) is a network of young people across England and Wales, working hard to make their communities safer, fairer places. Since 2021, over 6,800 young people have been taking action on the big issues leading to serious youth violence. With a further £7.5m investment, from the Youth Endowment Fund, #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and Co-op, PAC will now impact the lives of more than 11,000 young people aged 10 to 25. 

We are the Delivery Partner in Lancashire in partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Healthy Living and Child Action Northwest, working with young people to conduct further research and social action on education, a topic which PAC has identified as crucial to making their communities better places.

Our topic: Education

We know that school absence – missed attendance, as well as fixed and permanent exclusion – not only impacts students’ attainment, but also on the likelihood of them becoming involved in violence and crime. We also understand that absence is driven by a complex mix of root causes. What’s less clear is the evidence on what works to improve attendance and reduce unnecessary exclusions in schools. When young people are excluded and engage in Alternative Provision, it’s not clear what quality provision looks like.

Through PAC, young people will take the lead on investigating issues and solutions and turning what they find into action. Peer Researchers will design and carry out research with young people who have experiences and opinions to share. Social Action Leads will create social action projects with Changemakers to tackle some of the most persistent issues young people face in education.

During the first PAC delivery, we saw young people co-create youth violence strategies, campaign for change in their local communities and create safe spaces for young people. We will build on this work to continue to collaborate with young people to affect local and national change.

See current vacancies for this project: https://lancashirebmenetwork.org.uk/opportunities/lbn-vacancies/