The Winter Edition of the RCPCH College magazine for members (called Milestones) features a takeover by our own The Youth Narrative. In each edition there’s always a page written by them but this winter, as part of RCPCH &Us 10th anniversary, there are nearer to ten!
The Youth Narrative are a group of children and young people passionate about using different forms of communication to get their child health messages across to healthcare professionals. That could be through podcasting, writing articles for Milestones, contributing to research papers, or using different art forms to spread the word (more on this aspect in the new year!). In this edition of Milestones nearly twenty children and young people, representing all four nations of the UK, worked together over a period of six months, starting with the compilation of a very long list of ideas for articles and reviews back in April.
What to look out for?
Winter Edition of Milestones Magazine
Don’t miss the colourful centre page poster charting the 10 year history of RCPCH &Us beginning in 2015 with just 30 children and young people contributing to its launch at the 2015 annual conference. Fast forward to 2025 and we’ve had more than 16,500 through the RCPCH &Us doors! Young volunteer Catherine designed the look and feel of the poster as well as researching and selecting the content.
On page 18 there are children and young people’s personal reflections on the range of parliamentary events they have been part of around the UK this year, and on page 13, an article from Nathaiel commemorating World Children’s day with a reminder of the important Children’s Rights that underpin all our work with children and young people across the College. There’s brilliant write ups of two memorable events from 2025 – on page 13 Tati writes about the gorgeous patchwork quilt compiled from the bunting paediatricians made at conference illustrating their wishes for child health in the next ten years, and on page 5 Toby relives the amazing special event 24th July where The Princess Royal visited and met our RCPCH &Us volunteers.
“I loved taking part (in the Milestones takeover)- it was particularly interesting for me to learn about the long history of RCPCH &Us and how what we do now is informed from things that have happened previously! …There have been such a huge number of young people involved, just shows to me what an amazing initiative &Us is. I loved trying to make this information understandable for young people as well as paediatricians and other RCPCH stakeholders.”
Catherine – RCPCH &Us young volunteer
Look out also for not one but two interviews: firstly on page 4 Hrutika gets to grips with Children & Young People’s Engagement Manager Tony’s long history as a youth worker, whilst on page 27 veteran young volunteer Demi talks to Professor Steve Turner as part of the magazine’s Starter for Ten feature. This was the culmination of a fabulous morning spent together in early September chatting about their relative experiences of being volunteers at the college for almost the same number of years as one another – it could easily have made a two page spread!
Finally – see a whole page (p28) of children and young people’s reviews with recommendations of books, board games, podcasts and sports to try.
Such great fun – we’re looking forward to the next RCPCH &Us Milestones takeover already!
