We are Better Together - Newsletter October 2022

Fred Curtis is a member of Gloucestershire’s first Youth Advisory Group – a body set up by police and other local agencies to ensure the views of young people are heard. He is studying international relations at the University of Nottingham and is a Gloucester youth rugby player.

Tell us a little about your background

I’m Gloucester born and bred. I come from a single parent household, it’s me, my mum and my two brothers. I think one of the key values we have in the family is love and the support of each other because at the end of the day it’s all we’ve got, just us. So, that’s something that resonates strongly with me.

What can you tell us about the Youth Advisory Group?

I found out about it through another member, Joanna. She texted me about it. We had a conversation over lockdown, we had all the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter events and she texted me about them because she wanted to hear my opinion and I told her what I felt, my views on it.

Then a few months after she said I’m part of this youth advisory group, I think it would be really good for you - do you want to join?

I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve never had any involvement with police, positive or negative, they don’t know me and I don’t know them.

But it was really good, a good opportunity for me because the goals and the aims within the group and what we’re trying to achieve is something that’s really important in today’s society, giving a voice to young people to talk about issues and things that they want to see happen in their own communities.

Can you give some examples of how the group is making a practical difference?

We’ve had a lot of people in, like the Police and Crime Commissioner. He showed us his crime plan. He then came down to talk to us himself. He asked us questions and we asked him questions. He’s wanting to take action on what we said.

There was another incidence where we talked about the FLARE app, which allows anyone targeted by sexual assault to report it online. And based on our feedback with it where we’ve talked about a lack of advertising in schools, it’s been a lot more visible and more people have been talking about it. It’s an example of walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

As the group grows in numbers and status I think a lot more can be done. As it grows and people see the path of the group, that’s when it will be a positive force for change.

What are the main issues of concern for young people at the moment?

Knife Crime - nationwide you can see the growth in London, Birmingham and Bristol and it’s been dropped into Gloucestershire as well. It’s happened.

Drugs, that’s another issue that’s been dotted around the map of Britain and now you can see it in Gloucestershire. I feel like it’s grown so much the police have had to be reactive.

Sex education in school - the lad culture. For me, I play rugby, there’s a laddish culture in rugby and you see the positives and negatives of it. I try to distance myself from it – I try not to drink too much, I try to stay away from that. But I think there should be an education in school where boys and girls are taught about values, and things that they should and shouldn’t do, consent.

Social media is a factor in many of these issues – what are your thoughts on it?

It’s such a difficult, complex thing to analyse because without us realising it’s become our life. So it’s difficult. The way I see it, it’s a very good place but it’s also a very bad place. The pressure you face on social media is unbelievable. You want to go out there and give the very best version of yourself but nine times out of ten you’re not in Paris by the Eiffel Tower or you’re not in Rome eating pizza – it’s impossible. I’ve grown up with social media but that pressure has forced young people to live a lifestyle that’s not theirs.

I love going on Twitter – it’s a place where you can learn different things, meet different people and be advised on different issues - but then after the Euros, when England missed the penalties, I already knew the racial abuse all these boys were going to get was going to be unreal and for me, as a black man, to know that another black man is going to get abused because he missed a penalty, is heart-wrenching.

Every social media account should be linked to an ID and passport – it keeps people accountable. Most of the people posting these things are doing it on fake accounts, they create a fake name profile, say this stuff then log out and go into their normal account and pretend nothing happened.

Has anything the Youth Advisory Group raised shocked people?

Drink spiking – I think they were shocked to hear the extent of it and how bad it is. That’s a generational thing. The society we live in – it happens now. It shouldn’t be a thought you have in your head but the way it’s going you know it could happen at any point so I think spiking was a big thing, and harassment in clubs.

What do you make of how our diverse communities view the police at the moment?

The issues around the relationship between the police and communities like the black and Asian communities – those not always seen to be best friends with the police – I think for me there’s an opportunity to improve relations. Police are often associated with fear. For me, I don’t understand that because police are just people who are there and have a role in society. You don’t fear a fireman. You don’t fear a paramedic do you? Maybe that’s being naïve in my vision of love and society but I really hope you see a society where the police and the people are one, it’s not them and us.

What do you see yourself doing in the future?

Alongside studies I play rugby and I was fortunate enough to get a rugby contract with Gloucester Rugby so I’ll be playing my rugby at Nottingham Uni and coming down to Gloucester to train up at the academy. It’s something I want to take as far as I can. I want to finish my studies, take a year abroad, and have some work experience in a different country - French speaking Canada interests me a lot. I’d also like to go to Africa as that’s where my roots lie.

Something in international development – helping out – sharing love, being a good man, working for charities or the civil service or working in an embassy. I haven’t been able to narrow it down, even policing to be honest! I’ve got options and I just need to pick the right ones for me.