BBK announce sponsorship of Back Up Youth Advisory Group

“No segment in the society can match with the power, idealism, enthusiasm and courage of the young people.”  Kailash Satyarth

Children are amazing. I hold up my hands and say that as a Mum to two delightful girls, I am probably biased. I look at them as they grow and they continually amaze me. My tweenager is already close to surpassing me in many ways and already has in others. Coding for example was never on my school syllabus! I answer her questions about what’s happening in the world and feel buoyed by her passion and enthusiasm to change things. It gives me hope for the future and it makes me a passionate advocate for supporting children and young people. I am therefore especially delighted that Bolt Burdon Kemp is able to help support children and young people with a spinal cord injury (SCI) through our sponsorship of Back Up’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG).

Back Up is the only charity in the UK that has dedicated services for children and young people with a spinal cord injury. As well as having a wealth of amazing resources on their website the YAG comes up with ideas to help other young people affected by spinal cord injury. They also aim to inspire people in a similar situation, sharing their personal experiences of living well with a spinal cord injury. A previous YAG participant said: “I love taking part in the YAG as it invites us to shape the services Back Up offers. It feels like you’re making a difference, and you have lots of fun too!”

Childhood and adolescence are very unique experiences. As adults our own experiences will only ever get us so far. The world today is different to the world ten, 20 or 30 years ago. The challenges faced by all children and young people are different, and those faced by people affected by spinal cord injury even more so. I am excited to have an opportunity to see first hand the work that the YAG are doing and to learn more about the issues facing children and young people with a spinal cord injury.