On Friday 21 February, our lunchtime talk was hosted by 25 young online trend-setters, who had been taking part in a week long Bristol Talent Lab in the Studio. Watershed’s engagement team, Hannah and Vanessa, have been commissioned by Bristol City Council’s Bristol Youth Links to develop an online platform for young people in the City. Bristol Talent Lab, which was co-hosted with London based Latimer Creative Media, aimed to bring the best of a new generation of YouTubers, Tweeters and bloggers together to discuss how they use the internet, and what they would like to see from an online youth led platform. The Friday Lunchtime Talk gave us an insight into their approach to co-creation, and how they are using their digital voices to dig deep into serious issues that they face.

As part of the week, participants were separated into four groups to take part in a 24-hour sprint, where they each had to create content exploring youth issues, and try to get as many views as they could. The talk comprised of four short presentations of their created content, followed by a brief discussion.

The first group to present had created a video about breaking down stereotypes. They carried a whiteboard around the City Centre and asked people to write something about themselves that people may not expect from looking at them. They spotted Mayor George Ferguson, chased him down and managed to get him involved. Their hashtag is #IAmME. Here’s the video.

The second group had created an interactive flow of YouTube videos showing CCTV footage of gang violence and racist and domestic abuse. Using YouTube annotations, the group created a way for the viewer to intervene in the video, and stop the incident from taking place. The viewer feels compelled to watch the incident unfold, rather than intervening, encouraging them to consider what they would do if they saw incidents like this actually happening.

The next group had taken advantage of Naz’s large YouTube following to post a video discussing whether Racism is still a prominent issue in Bristol. They created #nomanners to allow for an open discussion on the subject.

The last group’s campaign was centred around the idea that if everyone made sure to perform a small act of kindness every now and then, this would make a gigantic impact on the inclusivity of the City. They created a simple animation using their hands, some change and a coffee cup to reflect the idea of a humble gesture. #AOK (acts of kindness) gave people a platform to share their acts of kindness and discuss the topic. Don’t Panic retweeted the campaign.

After these four presentations, the whole group gathered in front of the audience for an informal discussion about co-creation and creating online content. One of the key points that emerged from the discussion is that the way a lot of young people engage with the internet is active, not passive, as summed up very well by Lab participant Sophie in her talk at the No Boundaries Conference. Online platforms like Twitter and YouTube enable young people to be uninhibited in sharing their opinions. As well as creating their own content, online networks of young bloggers/vloggers often help each other to have a voice by sharing or responding to each others’ content.

When asked how they learnt to make videos, blog or tweet, the group responded that they found it strange that this kind of engagement with new media isn’t being taught at school/college. They said that they were all largely self-taught, but that they had also learnt a huge amount from their peers. As was evident in the Lab, the group all seemed to be experts in recognising each other’s strengths and playing to them.

In terms of an online platform for Bristol’s youth, the group were all unanimous that the platform should be created with young people, for young people. They said that the wrong way to go about creating something for young people is to give it to them pre-packaged. If they are invited to participate in creating something, they will feel that it is theirs, and they will be engaged from the beginning.

Four of the Lab’s participants are going to continue working with Hannah, Vanessa and Nikesh, Watershed Engagement’s new Online Content Editor, to shape Bristol’s unique online youth platform. Visit Watershed’s Bristol Youth Links microsite to follow its progress.