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This guest post was written for us by Mose, who is one of the many young voices who have spoken to us and shared their thoughts after the death of Sarah Everard.

Make (Good) Trouble promotes dialogue from and between young people and authorities to foster positive change.

How I feel about Sarah Everard, the vigil, and the police response. 

First off, I’d like to say, like a lot of women and girls, Sarah Everard’s death took a toll on me in a way I didn’t realise it would. I was reminded of every time I felt petrified for my life, which is a lot more than I like to admit. This tragedy forced me to face those demons again. It brought me to tears and I felt myself fall down a pit of vulnerability and powerlessness. I felt so, so alone and scared. It was a reality check; a harsh truth slapped in my face that I have never and may never be safe as a girl, a woman, and sadly, that I am just one of the lucky ones. 

The vigil was needed. End of story. It was needed for everyone. Our shared pain needed comforting. The police, had no right to cancel the vigil for a woman who’s life was taken away by one of their own. No right. They should have stood with us, side by side to show they understood the pain felt by everyone, maybe then would we be more sympathetic to the good police officers. But they didn’t. Police officers man-handled women at a vigil for a woman kidnapped and killed brutally by a police officer. How they couldn’t see what a mistake they were making, I’ll never understand. It was very easy to predict that by cancelling the vigil, people were still going to go. And it was equally as easy to predict that the way the police decided to deal with the vigil would lead to protests, more crowds and risk of people catching coronavirus, which they so desperately claim is the reason why the vigil had to be cancelled. Their plan backfired massively. If the vigil went ahead as planned, with the safe planning in place by the organisers of Take Back These Streets, we would have had some closure, the ability to pay our respects, say goodbye, and to not feel so alone.  There would be no protests days after, because we would have dealt with our feelings positively and healthily. What the police has done is shown they don’t care, and with that, the divide between police and citizens stretches even further. 

Lastly, I’d just like to say, the limitations the government desire to put on protests, which are a basic human right, is madness. Time limits, noise reductions, more intrusive methods, etc, etc. And for what? Because we’re disrupting the community? We’re disrupting the police’s day? That’s the point of a protest. This bill will not work. The people will fight even harder. And just like what happened at Sarah Everard’s vigil and the protests that followed, will happen again and again. We will not be silenced and our spirits will not be broken. People will keep shouting, keep chanting, keep marching, bigger and louder than ever before. Because this is our life, and we have human rights and we stand together to defend our rights. 

An image Mose posted on Instagram after the news of Sarah Everard’s death

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Four years ago today, on International Women’s Day, the seed of an idea was planted – it grew and became what is now Make (Good) Trouble, a company run by three women. Our idea was to give young people a voice, to help them to be more resilient and to become positive change-makers. We wanted to address the issues young people faced, and the problems parents had in understanding them.

Today, five young people talked to us about who inspires them and what makes a strong woman.

Thanks to Gemma, Astrid, Kaia, Daisy and Jude for their contributions -all posted below – and to Amelie for her IWD takeover on our Instagram today!

Amelie takes over the Make (Good) Trouble instagram account for IWD2021

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Eating disorders can manifest themselves in many ways: anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder – and shades in between. Anorexia is a frightening illness and has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Why does this issue mainly affect girls? Are boys who work out at the gym also affected? How can parents spot the signs and find ways to get help for their teen?

We’ve pulled together some resources that will help you better understand this debilitating illness.

A great place to start is to listen to our radio episode of Raising Teens. We had a fascinating discussion that looked at the realities of dealing with this mental illness and how it affects teenagers and their families.

🎧 Listen to Raising Teens: Eating disorders

🎧 Listen to Lola’s extended interview with a teen who’s experienced an eating disorder

Beat, the eating disorders charity, has created this brilliant site with loads of useful information and what you can do to help raise awareness.

Follow Beat on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Beat Helpline 0808 801 0677
Under-18s Youthline 0808 801 0711
Beat also offers Echo peer coaching 

The Hub of Hope, a national mental health database of organisations and charities across the country who offer local advice and support. Includes a Talk Now button connecting users directly to the Samaritans 

NHS advice and information about eating disorders

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Anne Longfield’s final speech today as Children’s Commissioner for England put children front and centre and asked the government if it is “serious about ‘building back better’ and ‘levelling up’?” Anne had a lot to say about the need for better care for vulnerable young people whose problems have been exacerbated by Covid.

What really struck a chord with us was Anne’s point that “the system needs to help professionals develop relationships with children.” And whilst this might seem like a no-brainer, she also said, “I have been shocked to discover that many officials have never met any of the children they are responsible for.”

This point is fundamentally at the heart of Make (Good) Trouble’s ethos, which is to give young people a voice, and to give them agency in their own lives and their futures. Young people are co-creators on all our projects, giving them new and transferable skills in digital media production in the process.

Stats on England's left behind children from Anne Longfield's final speech
Stats on England’s left behind children, slide from Anne Longfield’s final speech
Anne Longfield’s final speech as Children’s Commissioner for England

During her six-year tenure as Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne has been a brilliant champion for children. She made time to connect with Make (Good) Trouble and was interviewed by our young reporter Lola, and later by a group of teens who answered Anne’s questions.

Lola interviews Anne Longfield

Anne’s focus has been to listen to the voices of young people, and particularly vulnerable children such as those in care or those in detention “in secure children’s homes, secure training centre, young offenders institutions, mental health wards and other residential placements, either for their own safety or the safety of others”. Her focus on building up good data on children has shone a light on those in poverty or at risk of being drawn into gangs and county lines. “Vulnerable children stay in the ‘its too difficult’ box”, she said, adding, “people in charge of the system, don’t understand the needs of children”.

Impacts of the pandemic on children: slide from Anne Longfield’s final speech
Liv, Jude, Lola and Gemma answer Anne Longfield’s questions

If you have time, we also recommend you listen to this podcast episode where Anne speaks to children involved with Football Beyond Borders – a fantastic organisation who help children who are struggling at school by using their passion for football to engage them and improve their life chances.

Find out more about the work of the Children’s Commissioner:

The Children’s Commissioner of England website
Follow Anne Longfield on Twitter
Follow The Children’s Commissioner on Twitter
Follow The Children’s Commissioner on Facebook
Subscribe to The Children’s Commissioner on YouTube