From Not Bothered To Speaking Up

I’m Jomi, a football-obsessed student from Manchester, and I didn’t join Bite Back because I was passionate about food policy. I joined because I was in Year 11, GCSEs were looming, and I wanted something positive to distract me from the pressure. If I’m being honest, Bite Back felt like a nice extra for my CV and college applications. I knew junk food advertising existed — I just didn’t really care at the time.

That changed quickly.

The moment I started paying attention

Growing up, junk food advertising was always part of the background. Billboards, bus stops, social media, sponsorships. It was everywhere, like a flood you don’t notice because you’ve never known anything different. Even when I clocked an advert, I didn’t question it. I didn’t think about how it might be nudging me or shaping my habits.

Bite Back helped me slow down and actually look. Suddenly, the things I used to walk past on the streets of Manchester weren’t invisible anymore. I started noticing the tactics. The bright colours. The humour. The way junk food is always centre stage, especially for young people. What once quietly influenced my decisions now stood out clearly. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Finding my voice in a new space

When I first joined Bite Back, I was tentative and sceptical. I wasn’t sure how much I’d fit in or whether my voice really mattered. But I wasn’t expected to sound polished or perfect. I had space to be myself.

That’s one of the most refreshing things about Bite Back. Whether you’re speaking to policymakers or the public, Bite Back puts young people front and centre, sharing what life actually looks like from our perspective. That honesty is powerful and cuts through all the noise.

Now, almost a year on, I feel comfortable speaking up in rooms I never would have imagined myself in before.

Experiences that changed everything

Two experiences really stand out for me. The Summer Residential was the first. Being surrounded by other young people who cared, questioned things, and shared similar experiences made me realise I wasn’t alone in how I was feeling.

Then there was the Liberal Democrats Party Conference. I had never been in an environment like that before. I was shy at first, and definitely nervous. But once I saw other young people just like me, having real conversations with real influence, something clicked.

I learned that you don’t need to know every statistic or use technical language to engage people. If you genuinely care and speak with passion, people listen. There’s something incredibly moving about hearing someone speak honestly about an issue that affects them.

How Bite Back has changed me

Bite Back has helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect. It’s given me a platform I wouldn’t have found anywhere else. And it’s changed how I see the world around me, especially the systems shaping our health.

What started as something to take my mind off exams has turned into something I’m fully invested in.

A message to young people

If you’re unsure, that’s okay. I was too. My advice is simple: give it a go. You never know where it might take you.

Bite Back isn’t just for people who already see themselves as activists. It’s for curious people. Quiet people. Confident people. Footballers, creatives, thinkers. Anyone who wants to understand the world better and be part of changing it.

If you’re ready to start noticing what’s always been there, and to use your voice in a way that actually matters, Bite Back is waiting.