Young Citizen Action Group
Context

Thames Ward has an incredibly young population with the highest proportion of under 16s in Barking and Dagenham and the youngest average age in the borough. Given the age profile of the ward – and the unprecedented levels of growth expected – it is vital that young people are able to shape and influence the way their neighbourhood changes in the interest of fostering inclusive growth.
The Young Citizen Action Group (or YCAG) is focused on the future, the next generation. It is formed of students from Riverside School who are passionate about making a difference to their local area.
Priorities
At the start of every school year the Young Citizen Action Group receives community organising training, conducts a listening campaign to find out the local issues that young people want to change most and then focuses on taking action on those issues.
In their most recent listening campaign the top three priorities for its strategic work were:
- The lack of sufficient youth facilities and activities in the area
- The lack of clean, safe and accessible parks and green spaces
- Concerns over crime and safety
Overall Objective
YCAG is about young people making a difference in their community while having fun, making friends and building the confidence to engage with decision-makers to shape the way their area is changing.
Key Achievements
- The YCAG successfully liaised with BRL to ensure bins were installed at the bus stop outside their school and all along the road to tackle littering.
- The YCAG successfully campaigned to be given the keys to a large plot of land next to their school to be used as a community garden.
- The YCAG successfully campaigned for additional buses on the EL1 bus route every hour – worth over £1million.
- The YCAG won the 2019/2020 TELCO Award for Secondary School of the Year for their social action efforts in their community.
News & Events
Get involved!
If you live in Barking Riverside, Scrattons Farm or Thames View and want to get involved in resident-led activity with your neighbours then get in touch!