A Newport teenager is helping to develop new services for young people across Wales.

The young campaigner, 18-year-old student Miles Smith, is part of a group of 13 chosen from across the UK to represent a partnership between children's charity Barnardo's and community retailer Co-op.

Miles - who identifies as non-binary - is a member of the partnership's Youth Advisory Group, and is using their voice and experiences to aid in designing three youth-led community services in Ely (Cardiff), Swansea, and Rhyl.

These services, set to open this year, are designed to help young people meet basic needs such as food provision, improve mental wellbeing, and create opportunities for those aged between 10 and 25.

More than 1,400 young people from across the UK were involved in surveys and discussions to shape these services, with plans to launch 20 community-led services nationwide.

The Youth Advisory Group has also been meeting with young people to find out what they would benefit from most.

With their own experiences as a young adult carer from a single-parent family, Miles is well acquainted with the challenges many youths face.

Reflecting on their experiences, Miles said: "I had always wanted to go to university, but the closer it got to doing my A-levels, the more I worried that I wouldn’t be able to do well enough because of how things were at home."

Miles - who was referred by their school to Barnardos - emphasised the importance of additional support services, saying: "Having access to something like a breakfast club or an after-school club can make your day a bit better.

"Teachers at my high school funded the club themselves, but they can't always pay for this on their own. It needs to be properly funded."

This is not Miles' first rodeo with helping others as at the age of 16 they successfully lobbied the Welsh Government for an increase in the Educational Maintenance Allowance for students in Wales.

With this first-hand experience, Miles recently met with young people in Ely, Cardiff, who shared similar narratives, noting an urgent need for food and the desire for a space to eat before and after school.

According to Miles, "The young people talked a lot about the important issue of not having enough food."

A cornerstone of the partnership's agenda is ensuring the youth voice is central.

They aim to raise £5 million across the UK to support children and young people.

Fundraising has already surpassed the £2 million milestone, owing to donations and fundraising by Co-op colleagues.

Sarah Crawley, director of Barnardo's Cymru, praised the initiative and Miles's involvement.

She said: "It’s wonderful that Miles is using their voice and experience to advocate for other young people across Wales."

Similarly, Dave Luckin, head of community partnerships, funding and impact at Co-op, called for a collective effort, stating: "We are calling on Government and businesses to put young people’s valuable perspectives right at the heart of policy making and business decisions.

"Only in doing that, can we create a fairer future for young people."