Mission 44 Youth Advisor Sandip reflects on his first experience at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, exploring conversations around AI, devolution, and community-led change, and asking what it really means to give young people a meaningful role in shaping the decisions that affect them.
Sunday:
On Sunday, I arrived in Liverpool for my first Party Conference. I was there as a Mission 44 Youth Advisor, bringing my own experiences and perspective to the conversations taking place. Being there with the Mission 44 team gave me the confidence to get involved and make the most of the opportunity.
One of the first sessions I attended upon arrival was with the Children’s Commissioner, where I heard Alan Milburn speak about his work on creating opportunity for young people. This seemed to be a recurring topic throughout the conference, so I’m interested to see what comes from these discussions.
I also noticed how young people were involved in the panels and conversations. This was encouraging to see, but it also made me reflect on what meaningful youth engagement looks like.
Through Mission 44, I know how it feels like to be given an opportunity to shape conversions, challenge ideas and influence what happens next. Seeing the conference through that perspective made me question whether the same approach is being applied more widely.
Monday:
AI was one of the biggest topics I heard throughout the Conference. On Monday, at a roundtable with BB Partners, EY Foundation, LinkedIn and Mission 44 we heard how quickly AI is changing the world of work specifically for young people.
For me, this showed why young people need to be part of these conversations too, beyond a career perspective. Young people need to be asked about AI and its wider negative impacts on mental health and critical thinking skills.
There was also a discussion on how some young people are turning to AI as a form of a trusted adult. To tackle complex issues such as these, young people need to be part of the conversations.
I also found myself thinking about this through a systems-thinking lens. AI is today’s major technological shift, but it won’t be the last. We need to learn from each change, rather than continually reacting after the consequences have already emerged.
Devolution, which was also a hot topic, raised a similar question for me. If the purpose is to bring power closer to communities, young people should be part of understanding those communities.
Tuesday:
My final day brought one of the most interesting conversations for me: a roundtable looking at Mission North East and Mission Coastal, alongside Mission 44 CEO Jason Arthur.
Hearing from MPs, school leaders and industry leaders about what it takes to deliver change in communities was particularly valuable.
One point really stayed with me: successful delivery needs to involve people who understand the communities they are working with.
That immediately made me think about young people. If young people are part of those communities, surely they should be part of understanding and shaping what happens within them. The idea of co-production was also raised by Jason: working alongside young people, rather than simply listening to them but then making decisions without them.
Final thoughts:
My biggest takeaway from the conference is that there is no shortage of leaders identifying problems. What I wanted to hear more of was how we turn that understanding into solutions.
For me, meaningful youth voice means going beyond representation. It means giving young people genuine opportunities to contribute, challenge ideas and help shape decisions. Myself and the wider group of Youth Advisors have been lucky to experience that through Mission 44, however, we should not be the exception.
If we are serious about engaging young people in politics, we need to make sure they can actually enter these spaces and have a role within them. And if we want to tackle the challenges facing young people from education to AI and beyond I think we need leaders who are willing to think boldly and challenge existing systems.
The conference gave me a valuable opportunity to see politics from a different perspective. I’m leaving Liverpool with more questions than I arrived with, but perhaps, most importantly, a stronger belief that young people should be part of helping to find the answers.
- Sandip, 19
