Confidence, Community, and Change on the Coast

Hello! My name is Tilly, and I’m from Bexleyheath, but I moved to Blackpool three years ago when I was nine. Since then, I’ve been involved in many exciting projects, old and new, but right now, I’m working on something really special with my social action group United Youth Alliance (UYA). We’ve started a podcast called Love, Fylde, where we talk all about the work we’re doing in our community. Our programme covers five important categories: happiness, rainbow, green, innovation, and this woman can. I’m also really proud to be a #iWill Ambassador!

I joined UYA because I’ve always had this fire inside me – a desire to make a difference. It’s like there’s always been a spark in me that just needed to be fanned into a flame. What stood out to me the most was the realisation that we, as young women, are the next generation. We need to start making change now, before things get any worse. If we let issues like misogyny, homophobia, and racism take root, we’ll end up digging ourselves into a deeper hole. We’ve got to act now if we want to pull ourselves out.

One of the hardest things about being a young woman in Blackpool is the constant feeling of unsafeness that follows you around, like a shadow. Although there are a lot of lovely people here, Blackpool does have a reputation, and unfortunately, there are some people who are disrespectful and closed-minded. I really don’t like the catcalls or the drunken men who think it’s okay to harass women just because they’re walking down the street. Women should feel safe walking around, whether it’s in the middle of the day or at night, and I want to change that. I want all the women in Blackpool to feel safe, always. The good thing is, groups like the UYA make it easier to spark change here than it would be in a bigger city like London. Blackpool’s smaller, and with fewer people, it’s easier to make an impact.

The biggest difference between living in Blackpool and London for me is the lack of diversity here. While Blackpool is diverse in some ways, it can be quite a closed community, and with that comes closed minds. Yes, we’ve got things like Pride, but we still lack true acceptance of different cultures, disabilities, and races. You can see it in the little things, like the food we eat and the way people interact. I would really love to see a greater diversity in Blackpool – not just in numbers, but in acceptance and understanding.

Being part of UYA has given me the confidence I needed to grow as a person. It’s opened so many doors for me and helped me become the strong young woman I am today. I’m no longer afraid to share my opinions or stand up for what I believe in. The girls in UYA have seen me grow and thrive, and now my voice is finally being heard. If you’re a young person reading this, I strongly suggest you take the leap – take that jump and go for it! Making change, no matter how small, fills you with pride and helps you stand out. But not in a bad way – in the way a diamond stands out in a pile of coal. Confidence is the best thing you can have, and it’s something others will admire in you!

So, to all the young people out there – be unapologetically YOU and never be afraid!

Tilly was one of the young women who took part in our recent documentary ‘Pier to Peer: A Seaside Sisterhood’. The film follows a group of passionate young women who have banded together to make change in their local community and hometown of Blackpool. With personal archives collected over one summer, to workshops and many conversations, Pier to Peer is a short film about youth, activism and the friendships created along the way – and all rooted in a complicated love letter to the places we call home.

Supported and resourced by the #iWill team, this film has been co-created with young people from Blackpool’s United Youth Alliance, many of whom are now #iWill Ambassadors sharing their experiences and insights of local youth social action on a national scale. Watch the film below!