Teens were OUT OF CONTROL at Riverside!

Mon 20 Jul, 11:51

I can't believe what the youth did at Riverside this year! 

At Riverside's 30th Annual Festival, the youth of West Oxfordshire decided to grant £1,000 to the Evenlode Catchment Partnership in support of their vital work in keeping the LITERAL riverside thriving! West Oxon Youth Panel’s founding member, Niko, gifted Anne Miller of ECP a giant cheque to commemorate this exciting moment at the Green Room tent (pic below!).

Thank you to everyone who came to support!

In all seriousness, it has been my greatest honour that teenagers trust me to help them turn their ideas & hopes into reality. Whether that is a fundraiser for nature initiatives (what inspired me to start the Tree Hugging Festival in 2024), sending a letter to Parliament about the future of AI, planting a Wildflower Strip by the skatepark, starting a youth magazine (BEAKON), creating a dedicated fishing spot on the Evenlode, creating an afterschool space with a pool table, creating more job opportunities for young people in Charlbury...  the list goes on!

I just say YES, give them the tools and teach them the skills they need, point them in the right direction, introduce them to the right people, and do my best to protect them from the obstacles that often come from being change makers. All in a days work!

This weekend, the Youth Innovation Studio and West Oxon Youth Panel onboarded more volunteers, both students and adults, and I couldn't be more exciting about what 2026/2027 will bring. If you would like to support this work of youth empowerment as a volunteer, please do reach out to me at bbone@oxie.org.uk!

Together, we can turn the tables and make this the BEST time to be a teenager in the UK!

We are just getting started 🤗