Coming up, do you think you're getting the education you deserve? We find out how young people feel.

And I'm visiting this farm near Bath.

To find out how it's helping keep kids in school. And do enough of us have access to safe spaces out of school?

I'm here to check out a new youth club designed by kids for kids.

This is, FYI, your weekly news show covering all the issues that affect youth. And for your info, this year it's likely the country will be having a general election where everyone gets the chance to vote on who runs the country. Everyone except us. Yep. If you're under 18, you don't get to vote, but it doesn't mean you don't get a say. Over 360,000 of you took part in a survey called the big ambition. Children across England were asked what the government in power after the election should do to improve our lives. And what you said is going to be taken to those people who are in charge of decisions that affect us. We headed to a special event to find out the results of the survey. Check it out. It's the houses of parliament. It's where the government makes decisions about how to run the country. But today, young people are taking over. For the big ambition survey, you were asked to comment on how you feel about everything from school to health to feeling safe online. And what you said is going to be taken to the very top, to the people who work here at parliament.

And these are the people who will be fighting your corner.

Each of these brilliant young people has volunteered to represent England's children as part of the children's commissioner's work to give young people a voice in the future direction of this country.

Dame Rachel D'Souza is the children's commissioner for England and these are her young ambassadors. And it's their job to make sure our opinions are heard.

This is a really special year. It's an election year, you know, too often because children don't vote, they think their voices aren't heard. And I wanted to make sure we knew exactly what they wanted and it got put in front of the politicians.

The survey results reward some key areas that you really care about and what you want the government to look at. Lots of these issues are close to the hearts of the young ambassadors. I'm really interested in children who are suffering from hidden struggles in their lives, so specifically hidden disabilities, both mental and physical, but also children with additional caring responsibilities.

The topic that I'm very passionate about is educational inequality. Where someone is born shouldn't have an impact on what they're able to do with their life.

As someone that does have special educational needs, I find it quite difficult to, like, socialize and I find it quite difficult to find support in school. So I want all children with special educational needs to actually find that support.

How exactly do you make sure that the government is listening to young people?

It's my job to be knocking on those doors and making sure their views are heard.

So, still looking at those important survey results, let's move on to your thoughts on our education. So, Scarlett, do you enjoy school? Yeah, I really enjoy school. I have really great teachers and I love being able to see all my friends. Yeah, same. But do you guys think so too? Well, it turns out that 60% of you agreed and said you enjoyed school, which is great, but what about that other 40%? Well, you said that you want help for children with attendance and behavior problems. Each child needs an education and teachers that help them achieve any dreams and goals they have. Your first ambition is that all children should have access to a brilliant education. Yeah. So, like you said, behavior in attendance is a massive issue. In fact, Scarlett, did you know that one in five of us in England are regularly absent from school? Wow. That's a lot. Well, Myers visited a unique place that's helping kids who are struggling at school to achieve their full potential.

This is Jamie's farm, a charity that's helping kids who face challenges at school, whether it's because of behavior, low self esteem, or they just need some time out to reset. They spend a week living on a working farm like this one, but it's no holiday. The group have to help run the place. I'm meeting some of the kids who are staying here. I want to find out if mucking out animals and cooking meals can help improve their chances of getting a brilliant education. What would you say was the main reason you wanted to come here?

I'd get five days away from school and I didn't know that I would have to do lots of work. I thought it would just be like, quick retreat, just chill.

I've never been to, like the english countryside properly before. At first I thought, like, oh, this might be, like, a little boring.

Since I have ADHD, it's hard for me to focus. I start getting distracted talking to my friends. That's what usually ends me getting in trouble and getting sent out of the classroom.

One important job is chopping wood for the boiler that provides all the hot water for the farm.

Doing the wood chopping has really helped me focus on the task at hand and get better at concentrating on everything.

But don't try this at home.

Jobs like this are done with the.

Support from the team who run the farm.

What are some of the challenges that.

Some of the kids coming here face?

So I guess a lot of the kids are really struggling to engage in school. We step in at a point where children might be heading down quite a negative route. They see the changes from the start of the week where people arrive and they're saying, oh, this is smelly. I don't want to be here, I don't want to go on long walks. I don't want to eat this food through to the end of the week where the kids have had a great.

Week and the impact on the pupils is massive. Six months after their visit, 63% reported improved mental health. 64% of pupils previously at risk of being kicked out of school and no longer at risk of exclusion. Did you think going back to school, do you reckon it will have changed much?

I think it will get me to be a bit more confident and maybe I'll be able to speak up more in class, because usually I just sit there, kind of do nothing and only answer, like, when the teacher asks me something.

So what would you say to people who had a chance to come here?

I'll tell them, like, to do it, because I think doing that strengthens your confidence and bravery, because when I first came here, I never touched a cow, never touched a pig, and now I've been so close to all the animals and it's a really good experience.

Thanks, guys. We're looking at the results of a survey of thousands of children in England and finding out how you're feeling. Next up is crime and how safe you feel when you're out. Yeah. So 72% of you said that you feel safe in your area, which is good, but what about the 28% who don't?

You said me and countless people I know have been a victim of or have witnessed youth on youth violence.

All children should be able to live without violence. Your next ambition is we want to feel safe and confident in public places. We know that knife crime is something that a lot of you guys have been worried about lately, especially when the latest figures show that it's been on the rise again. Last year in London alone, 18 teenagers lost their lives because of knife crime, although experts do say that the chances of being in an incident involving knives is still extremely low. We wanted to hear what you guys thought on the issue, so we paid a visit to the FYI News club at Southgate school.

It's just a really hot topic and it's sort of inescapable because it is the reality. There was a day where police came to our school and they talked about knife crime. That really helped me feel safer. I knew that everything was recognized.

When I hear about it, it does make me feel upset, because that's not what's supposed to happen in my world.

We've had many assemblies about it and sometimes I get worried that that may happen to me.

I think knife crime's on the rise because I think people are scared as much as anything else. Like, they're scared of it happening to them, so then they think that they should carry a knife, so then they feel safer. You're making yourself a part of the problem. More like you're in more danger now because you're carrying a knife. I think life crimes increase also because they're influenced by their friends.

It's about their friends, but it's also about where they are. Because if you think if you're in really rich neighborhoods where it's safe, you're not going to have a lot of knife crime, but if you're in a more broken down and a more rough society, you're going to be more worried. Those areas are dodgy because the politicians and police haven't put enough funds and effort into keeping those areas safe.

I think people should just, like, be kind and find other ways than violence, because it would obviously make the UK a better place. Thanks, guys. So what is the answer to helping young people feel safe? Well, research has shown that youth club closures means a bigger risk of young people getting caught up in crime. So do you think there are enough fun and safe places for us to go in our free time? Well, it depends on where you live in the country, but overall, 72% of you said you had fun activities near where you live, which is pretty good. Yeah, but what needs to be done to get the other 28% on the same page? You said there should be more activities for the youth to do, no matter their background, to lower the amount of crime. Fund sports and activities for all children of all ages because it's not fair for the kids whose parents can't afford the sports. Your next ambition is every child and teenager should have a good quality, free or cheap youth club. Recently, Thomas went to the unveiling of a brand new youth club, which has actually been designed by young people.

And apparently a very important person was also attending.

Hey, guys. Yes, I'm here in White City at the official opening of this very special youth club. And the Prince of Wales is here to tour the building and am Vila plaque with some of the kids who designed this building, I thought I might join in. Named west, standing for where everyone sticks together. This building was designed by local young people and I got a chance to catch up with them after his Royal Highness elect. So what was your involvement in designing the Usain?

It started off quite small with designing.

The exterior, the colors.

We were looking at different youth zones from around the country, so we were trying to find the best parts for each of them and put them all together to create this perfect space.

Before I joined after school, I would be really bored and just spend time on my phone and stuff. So, like, coming here would be much better for, like, my mental health.

It's very easy to feel separated. I'm personally homeschooled as well, so it can be a bit harder for me to find spaces to go and meet other young people. And this is honestly a dream. I could have never imagined this.

But what do the other local people have to say? What's it like coming to Wes? Is it what you expected?

I thought it would just be a massive room with chairs and not actually being able to do anything. I really like the rock climbing and the gym and the dance studio. I like playing sports, like basketball or football. I'm really excited for this place just because my friend is here.

So, Singh, what have you been doing today?

So today we've been making cupcakes with.

Our wonderful head chef, Mia.

If people want to come in and bake, can they do that every day?

Absolutely, yeah. We're open seven days a week at west, and the training kitchen is always open for young people.

White City has in the past been considered as an underprivileged area with a high crime rate. Places like these give young people a safe space to play in and gives them the chance to do things they haven't tried before. Why do you think it's so important for places like this to be built?

Because some kids are involved in crime and stuff, which is really bad. And coming to the US can help change that.

It seems clear that places like this.

Are allowing kids to be themselves and to give the opportunity to take part in activities they otherwise might not be able to do.

Thanks, Thomas. Now that plays it great. And so good that young people actually got a say on how it was designed. Definitely. And we know from the survey that you want to have your voices listened to, but only 22% of you feel listened to by the people around the country, whereas 78% of you don't. It was the most negatively answered question in the survey. You said you want the adults too involve children in making policies that affect them. Children should be able to change the world too. Your next ambition is we want our views on important issues to be reflected in decisions that affect our futures. We know that one of the big issues you really care about is the environment. And a lot of you are taking matters into your own hands. Yeah, like these guys, Wami, Betsmi and Yimi. They've been litter picking for the past five years. Every week. They've even won a British Citizen youth award for their work. So why did you guys start litter picking? And what effect does litter have on the environment? When we were six, we learned about the three r's in school, which obviously you guys already know.

Reduce use in a spankle. We went home to our mom and we asked her what we could do about it. So we started litter picking. If we don't reduce plastic pollution, it can end up in our landfills and destroy our nature. But you guys do way more than litter picking now, don't you? Yes. So actually we go to our local church and collect soft plastics, like crisp packages and biscuit packages. And we've also planted twelve trees and we hope to do more. I completely agree with you. You know, it's about getting everyone to be really passionate about this, which you guys are definitely doing. It's amazing. A lot of our viewers also really care about the environment. So have you guys got any top tips on what we can all do to help? Really simple things, actually. We can tell our parents to turn off the heating and wear a jumper. And we can also use public transport, cycle or walk to a destination whenever possible. You can also take shorter periods of time when you're taking a shower instead of a bath and turn off the tap when you're brushing your teeth. And you can raise your voice about saving the environment.

We need all adults to listen because it's our planet and there's no planet b. It's crucial that we all do our bit. I'm definitely going to be using some of those tips. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Thank you. Thank you. Well, that's almost it from us, but over the next few months, we'll be keeping you updated with any developments on this story because here on FYI, you get your say. But before we go, we want to show you a clip of our special episode next week. It's something that a lot of us do. Were investigating gaming. The UK is the largest video game market in Europe and the latest stats tell us 89% of young people play computer games in some form or another. What sort of games do you play? I like playing Zelda games. Like I'm dressed up as link from Zelda.

There is nothing that games can't do now. They help you with problem solving, team building, the way people hang out with friends.

Could all these games be having an impact on their health? I play about 5 hours a day. Well some days I play for like 10 hours if it's like a Sunday or something. This investigate is taking a look at gaming addiction. Do we game too much? Check it out next week here on FYI. Bye.