2023 Youth Activist of the Year Saffron Stedall from Portsmouth
When Saffron talks, we need to listen. She channels her personal experience to lobby government officials for a fairer food system. Hear this girl roar!
Saffron has been a Young Food Ambassador for the Children’s Right2Food campaign for four years. Her personal experience means she talks passionately about food poverty stigma and barriers to accessing an affordable, healthy diet. And there’s no doubt policymakers listen to her – she’s met with her MP to discuss Free School Meals and goes to regular meetings with the former Children’s Minister and Department for Education officials.
Then when the cost-of-living crisis crashed in, Saffron met with supermarket heavyweight Sainsbury’s to ask them how they could better support low-income families – which resulted in a £2 veg box pilot in 200 stores. We hope this award shows you our appreciation.
Judged by Big Has, Seema Pankhania and Luke Hall, presented by Luke Hall and Jimi Famuwera
Saffron says…
It was really incredible to win the award, to feel recognised. Because, working as a youth activist in isolation – I lobby government officials for a fairer food system – it can be quite difficult to keep going. So it was good to feel like someone’s heard my voice in the abyss.
With the Food Foundation, I managed to convince Sainsbury’s to reduce their prices. I’m a massive Sainsbury’s fan, my Nectar card is my pride and joy! So imagine my excitement of being at Sainsbury’s HQ. We sat around a table and I just said, ‘Your shops are really expensive, but I love you.’ And they made a deal.
My goal is for government to give ALL primary children free school meals – but I need to be realistic. When it comes to the free school meal argument, there is this outlook of, ‘Well, their parents should work harder.’ OK, but we’re talking about the children. Who cares about the parents? And I feel more people need to realise that. I would like to chat to Rishi Sunak, for sure.
It’s great that the Mayor of London has extended free school meals to all primary schools. It’s really expensive to live in London. But it’s also expensive to live where I’m from in Portsmouth… Like, what about everywhere else?
The only thing that can stop me fighting for what I believe in is change. So winning the award was brilliant, but I would like the government to sort it out. We took free school dinners to the Department of Education and they said there wasn’t anything they could do about it – but I was like, you are the VERY people who can do something about it and you’re choosing not to. There was a time when I wanted to work in government, work for the Department for Education. But I’ve lost that now.
I don’t feel nervous talking to important people. It’s like performing to an audience: I don’t know who they are, and I know what I’m doing. But because I’m autistic, I can’t deal with mingling and small talk with strangers. That’s what makes me nervous.
No matter what you’re fighting for, be heard – but don’t be loud. Get angry, get passionate, sure, but don’t raise your voice. The minute you do that, you’ve lost the argument. I learnt that from being an outspoken kid at school! You always have the upper hand as long as you are calm. Look them in the eye and say your point calmly, make them uncomfortable, make them squirm… But don’t be loud, because that’s when people lose interest in what you’re saying.
I’m most proud of myself for putting myself out of my comfort zone. As someone with a disability, I like being in my comfort zone. If I could just stay in my little room with my books and never talk to anyone, I would. And I have – but I didn’t get anything out of it. So I was grateful when Jo at the Food Foundation gave me a chance to get out of my comfort zone.