Bradford Citizens

Bradford Citizens is part of West Yorkshire Citizens, a regional chapter of Citizens UK, which is a national community organizing charity. Bradford Citizens brings together a diverse alliance of local institutions—such as school trusts, community groups, and faith organizations—to work collaboratively on social justice issues and community improvement projects.

Key Activities and Achievements in Bradford:

  • Youth Empowerment: Originated from the Schools Pandemic Recovery Summit in 2021, which gave young people a platform to share their experiences and shape the post-pandemic future of the city.
  • School Trust Collaboration: Includes partnerships with six major school trusts including Dixons and Beckfoot.
  • Mental Health Advocacy: Secured commitments from Bradford Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board to address gaps in mental health provision in schools.
  • Community Campaigns: Works on issues such as road safety, cost of living, racism, and housing conditions.
  • Civic Engagement: Engages with local and national policymakers to ensure community voices are heard in decision-making processes.

 

BDAT and Bradford Citizens

BDAT has been actively involved with Bradford Citizens, a local chapter of Citizens UK, through impactful youth-led initiatives.

Bradford Citizens Together:

Student Wellbeing Ambassadors from BVGA visited Dixons to take part in the Bradford Citizens Together conference, alongside students from the Dixons and Beckfoot trusts. They were joined online by students from BFA and Immanuel. Our Wellbeing Ambassadors delivered a workshop on the work they have done over the past couple of years across BDAT to support mental health. They also took part in a Delegates Assembly which resulted in two BVGA students and two Immanuel students were elected as part of the Bradford Citizens leadership team for an anti-racism campaign. As part of the election, our students spoke with passion and clarity about their desire to make a difference in the local community.

BDAT Student Wellbeing Ambassador Project:

Inspired and informed by the work carried out for the Bradford Citizen’s mental health campaign, BDAT has developed a Student Wellbeing Ambassador project. The project aims to establish student leaders who can actively support the wellbeing and mental health of their peers. It seeks to foster meaningful connections between primary and secondary schools, encouraging collaboration and shared learning. A key goal is to help students develop leadership skills and build their confidence through active participation and responsibility. Students meet online regularly to share strategies and to feedback on the work they have done to raise awareness around mental health and wellbeing. Pupils plan and deliver radio shows on wellbeing and mental health which are broadcast to the local community, as well as attending an annual face-to-face conference to further develop shared plans to support student wellbeing, in addition to the work that is done in their own schools.

Bradford Citizens Delegates Assembly:

A group of BVGA students attended the Bradford Citizens Delegates Assembly at Bradford Girls’ Grammar School. The students presented the work of the Bradford Citizens Mental Health Action Team and reflected on the action they are taking to improve the wellbeing of young people in Bradford. One of the BDAT students, Zoha in Year 9 at BVGA, was excellent in her role as co-chair. All delegates from across Bradford schools came together to reaffirm their commitment to taking social action in the areas of cost of living, antiracism and mental health. BDAT students who attended reflected on their work with Bradford Citizens:

  • ‘We need to think about other peoples’ lives and try to improve them’.
  • ‘It is important because everyone deserves to have a good childhood and to have their voices heard’.
  • ‘It is important to improve society and to be confident in speaking about sensitive issues’

Further information on BDAT’s involvement in Bradford Citizens initiatives from a pupil point of view is given in the Schools Week article (‘How Bradford School Are Empowering Youth Led Change’) below:

schoolsweek.co.uk – how Bradford schools are empowering youth led change