youth voice: positive stories (september 2012)

September 2012

Youth Voice:

Positive Stories

Youth Voice: Positive Stories

Youth Voice:

Positive Stories

A report by youth representatives and the workers that support them

September 2012

Throughout September 2012 we invited youth representatives, including Members of Youth

Parliament (MYPs), Deputy Members of Youth Parliament (DMYPs), Youth Councillors,

Young Mayors and Deputy Young Mayors, to share their stories of the positive activities

they have been engaging in recently.

We also gave workers the opportunity to update us on the activities of the youth groups

they work with and support. The British Youth Council will share this report regionally and

nationally, with local councillors and MPs, in order to raise the profile of the fantastic local

work that we know is happening every day.

The case studies and stories of the work of young people in their local communities are

reproduced here in their own words. If you would like to find out more about one of the

projects you read about in this report, please email [email protected].

The online survey will now remain open and over the next year we will produce a report

similar to this one, once a month, providing young people the opportunity to shout about

the great work they have been doing in their local areas during the previous month.

Previous reports are available online: www.byc.org.uk/uk-work/youth-voice

The British Youth Council would like to thank all the workers and young people who took

the time to promote and complete September’s survey and we look forward to hearing

more from everyone over the coming months.


Contents

East Midlands 04

East of England 06

London 09

North East 13

North West 15

South East 17

South West 23

West Midlands 24

Yorkshire and the Humber 28

Northern Ireland 33

Scotland 35

Wales 38


East Midlands

Leicestershire

Nicola O’Neill, support worker

Ashleigh O’Mahony, one of our Leicestershire UKYP reps recently received an Oliver Taylor Award at

Wreake Valley Academy’s achievement ceremony. The Oliver Taylor Award is awarded to one

student in the whole year that stands out amongst all for their contribution in college. Ashleigh was

awarded a certificate and £250 from the School Governor.

The commentary, to go with Ashleigh’s award, written by her previous teachers was:

“This young woman is a remarkable person. She has had difficult experiences in her life and

as a result has developed her own way of looking at life; honest, direct and profoundly

caring. She has served as a class representative on the student council for 5 years, on the

sports council in year 9 and the uniform committee in year 11. Look a little closer and you will

see that she has been developing great powers of persuasion putting forward reasoned

arguments. Whenever she sees a situation where students have no advocate, where perhaps

natural justice is not being served, she puts herself forward. If the system is not responsive

she can adopt alternative strategies. On her own initiative she has organised petitions and

canvassed support from the headmaster, Mr Pinnock. She plays a role in a much wider world

than our college. She is a member of the Children in Care Council and just recently has been

elected to the United Kingdom Youth Parliament. In her own words: "I want to do this for

everyone - I'm not the only one struggling." Whenever there is the opportunity to raise

money for Children in Need in college she has always gone the extra mile - such as spending

all day in a huge, inflatable milkmaid outfit or a cow suit with pink marigolds for udders. The

care she takes of her friends is a joy to see. On her work experience she truly looked after

and got to know the old people in her care, showing a patience and understanding beyond

her years. She still goes back to visit the residents now. Seeing someone take their negative

experiences and use them as a fuel for making other people's world a better place is a

humbling experience.”

Ashleigh says:

“This award has made her feel incredibly proud of myself. Not only because of everything I've

done but because I'm one of the smaller percentage of young people in care who don't follow

the norm' as such. I just hoped this would somehow impact the way other young people think

and act.”


Lincolnshire

Andrew Garbutt, support worker

ASB Project Respect (Lincoln City): This project came about due to ASB (anti-social behaviour) with

young people at serious risk of being criminalised. The Targeted Youth Support Team (TYS) are

working with local partners including the Sports Development Manager and created a seven-week

programme with the aim:

• to deliver fun, interactive and informative sessions

• and to empower the young people to make better and more informed choices.

It was a project undertaken primarily to address ASB, in partnership with other agencies including

Lincolnshire Police and Positive Futures (PF), with contributions from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue,

The Big Society Bubble, and Sports Partnership. Eight disengaged young people (12-18) attended the

project. The group had experienced a variety of issues including being missing from home, ASB,

assaults from others, self-harming, drug and alcohol use, and withdrawing from engagement with

adults in authority.

Most of them had a poor attitude and were very reluctant to join in at the start. However, by the

end there was a visible improvement in the way the young people communicated with each other,

as well as adults. They showed improved social skills and confidence and a better understanding of

acceptable behaviour, ASB, crime and consequences. They had shown their better sides and shared

their strengths. One young person commented that he wished it had lasted longer and one engaged

so well with staff, their pool playing qualified them for a National tournament. Most of the young

people are now engaging with agencies and receiving individual support with one young person

engaging with school, after non-attendance for over a year. All are aware of where and how they can

access support, advice and guidance.

This project was hard work, but thoroughly enjoyed by all, and really did make a difference to lives.

The police have praised the work, due to the reduction in local ASB and Police callouts.

Caroline Ayres Youth Offer: At September's meeting Lincolnshire Youth Cabinet discussed

Lincolnshire's Youth Offer. The Chair will be contacting the Head of service to ask questions and seek

clarity especially around community takeover of its local authority youth centres.

Make Your Mark: Cabinet are targeting schools in their areas sending personal letters to student

councils asking for support with the ballot.

4th MYP place: The process has begun to elect our 4th MYP from our targeted groups. A visit to the

Transition Board (young people with disabilities) already proving a success with two wishing to

stand. This is in addition to three DMYPs also looking to fill the spot (two with disabilities and one in

residential care). Young carers also have a chance to stand.


East of England

Hertfordshire

Alex Ferguson, support worker

The month started with the BYC Annual Council Meeting in Cardiff when eleven young people from

Herts UKYP and Herts1125 attended. Time was taken on the Friday to enjoy ice creams in the

sunshine in Cardiff Bay and enjoy a meal out giving the group a chance to get to know each other

outside the normal confines of their work. Saturday was spent taking part in the democratic

processes of the Annual Meeting including voting in officers, debating motions and representing the

young people of Herts.

Ije and Xav travelled to Stevenage to meet with the Children in Care Council to introduce

themselves, the work of UKYP and the Herts1125 role. An enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of

young people who care passionately about improving things for young people in care; it was a

pleasure to hear them speak of what they have achieved so far and what they hope to achieve in the

future.

Links with Herts Young Homeless group are beginning to strengthen and the hope is that they too

will be represented at the Herts1125 Conference to raise issues that the young homeless in Herts

face and how they can best supported.

Preparation for October events has been manic, what with four weekends on the trot to be arranged

and supporting paperwork completed. MYPs are working hard in planning of the events, first being

at Watford Youth Point and the second at Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage: venues, display boards,

registration forms and techy guys that can work the video and camera much more professionally

than ourselves are all in place! MYPs will be there to talk to the candidates about their role both

locally, regionally and nationally.

This month also brings the BYC Convention in Cambridge where elections for Debate leads at the

House of Commons and the East of England Procedure Group Representative will take place. This

bought discussions in the group around roles & responsibilities of Debate leads for the House of

Commons event as well as those of the Procedures group representative – do our MYPs, most of

them at crucial times in their education, have the time and commitment to spare? A resounding yes

was the outcome and Herts have one standing for PG Rep and three for debate lead – we shall see

what the BYC Convention brings.

The main focus of the meetings has been the Herts1125 Conference and the presentation of the

Manifesto for Youth in October. Draft copies have been trawled through, typos and grammar

amendments made, sentences read and re-read and re-read again to make sure the document is

correct.


Suffolk

Support worker

Suffolk Youth Parliament have been steadily busy for the past two months actively engaging with,

and trying to represent as many young people as possible, here’s some examples of what they have

been up to.

Meeting with police and crime commissioner candidates: Suffolk Youth Parliament have been

finding out how the candidates for Police & Crime Commissioners plan to work with young people, if

elected. In July they met with Jane Basham the Labour candidate at The Junction in Lowestoft, and

had some enlightening discussions with her. In August, they met Tim Passmore, the Conservative

candidate at the Suffolk County Council head office in Ipswich, Tim pledged to actively listen and

engage with young people by having a regular forum.

Meeting with the Deputy Leader of the Green Party: In August, Suffolk MYPs met with Adrian

Ramsey, Deputy Leader of the Green Party at Lowestoft College .They contacted him following an

article he had written on youth engagement. He is a big fan of Youth Parliament and also a supporter

of political education in schools.

Public Transport Campaign: Suffolk UKYP launched an online survey to find out young people’s

views and opinions on public transport in Suffolk, the response was phenomenal and because of this

two Members of Suffolk Youth Parliament were invited to the first ever Youth Select Committee in

Parliament to present their evidence. To follow up on the issues raised and to make changes for

young people, UKYP Suffolk launched another online survey on 3rd August through to 18th

September- this time they took a solution-focused approach. A meeting was arranged for Monday

24th September, at Council headquarters and included the Leader of Suffolk County Council,

Portfolio Holder for Transport (both county and borough), Portfolio Holder for Children and Young

People, Regional Director of First Buses, Director of Ipswich Buses, representatives for disabled

children and other transport operators and senior councillors. Sam Kenward MYP leads the

campaign and the meeting was wholly arranged by him. A 17-page analytical report was given to the

councillors with the views and opinions of young people. The meeting was youth-lead (despite one

councillor trying to take over), and the outcomes were positive. It was the first stage in getting all

the parties together. This is just the beginning and UKYP have been asked to be part of a Youth

Scrutiny Committee, as well as being part of a youth steering committee, and a few other promises

that we will hold them too! We intend to carry out further research and stay in communication with

all the parties and advise the transport operators how they can promote discounts to young people,

in the places they will see them. This meeting was the first step of many, and some great in-roads

made for the MYPs with the transport operators and councillors. I personally feel that the MYPs

were an absolute credit to the UKYP, BYC and the young people they represent. The meeting was

professional and very well thought through.

Meeting with Children in Care Representatives: We met with the manager of the Looked-After

Children Department within the council who explained how the whole system worked in Suffolk and

how the young people in care are being represented. The meeting was very enlightening and

highlighted issues looked-after children face, which we can now take to the relevant parties. We

have also been invited to visit children’s homes and talk to the young people.


Visit to HMP Youth Offending Institute Warren Hill: UKYP Suffolk have approached the YOI and

have been invited to carry out focus groups with the young people. We are hoping to do this before

Make your Mark campaign so we can get the young-offenders issues heard too.

Meeting with Out and About – Disabled Children and Young Persons Charity: We met with a

support worker from Out & About and he talked us through the issues disabled young people face.

We also invited him to our transport meeting and he came and represented the disabled children.

UKYP Suffolk Newsletter: UKYP Suffolk will be sending out an e-newsletter once every 2 months to a

growing mailing list. We have also applied for funding to get printed copies and distribute in schools,

colleges and youth organisations.

Radio Interviews: Sam Kenward MYP has been interviewed 3 times this past month about our

transport campaign. He has appeared on BBC Radio Suffolk twice and once on Beach Radio (Local

Radio) - he is doing a great job of getting UKYPs name out there and raising awareness.

Make Your Mark: All MYPs are working tirelessly on the campaign. Marco Anderson MYP has got

permission for the whole college (1750 students) to complete the ballot. Lewis Old MYP is in

meetings with Suffolk New Colleges principal and student union about getting as many students as

possible to complete the ballot. Tom Pepper MYP is promoting within his DofE groups and youth

groups, Kate Reynolds MYP is working to get her whole school to take part and visiting lots of youth

projects in the evenings and Matthew Percy is working on getting it in the libraries and job centres

(for the NEET population). Sam Kenward has managed to arrange an assembly for his whole year to

take part, and also has managed to get the online links put on local college’s websites and student

intranets, as well as his local library and youth clubs.

Articles for PSHE and Council Newsletters: We have been asked twice this month to contribute to

other peoples newsletters. We wrote about Make your Mark in a PSHE newsletter which goes to all

tutors in the county, and also a Suffolk County Council newsletter. We have also been asked to

produce a Youth Edition Council newsletter, which we will arrange next month.

Reducing the Strength Campaign: Matthew Percy MYP

attended a launch for a campaign to get extra strong

alcohol off the shelves to stop binge drinking. He will

support the campaign throughout. MYPs will be

focusing on Make your Mark for the early part of

October and then we will attack the transport issue

once again, and we won't stop until we have achieved

what young people have asked for.


London

Islington

Davide Mason, 18, V24/24 Volunteer at the British Youth Council

In September, four young people between the ages of 18 to 24 joined the British Youth Council as

volunteers giving up their time to do all sorts of things, and I am one of them!

In our first weeks we have represented young people at the British Youth Council at events such as

the Liberal Democrat’s conference and the Labour conference where we met other organisations

such as O2 Think Big and Battlefront who also do very similar things like the British Youth Council.

We also met the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats who we feel really respected us for what

we do and our ideas. Also, while at the conferences, we met loads of councils all over the UK which

is an amazing experience. Overall we have done some really good work in the short time that we

have been at the British Youth Council.

We have learnt loads of new skills and found skills we didn’t know we had such as presentation, how

to work in an office environment and that there are people that care about young people and their

problems. We have all learnt loads about politics as before we weren’t interested in politics one bit.

We have learnt to develop our telephone skills, are all more confident in speaking in public, have all

learnt how to work in a team and how to present ourselves around other organisations. We look

forward to further representing young people on behalf of the British Youth Council.

Richmond upon Thames

Olivia Mclaren, 15, Youth Councillor

Richmond’s Youth Council, supported by Richmond Youth Service, recently finished peer research

training, the Youth Council have now been commissioned by PCT to undertake sexual health peer

research to find out views from young people about how much they know about the subject. The

Youth Council will also be asking for young people’s views on current sexual health provision within

the Borough to inform review of the existing sexual health provisions for young people. We will be

carrying out this research in youth clubs in all quadrants within our borough.

Richmond Youth Council also attended a short film ‘Eyes of a criminal’. The film was developed by

the Youth Offending Service in partnership with the Youth Service and Geese Theatre Company. The

film explored the thoughts and feelings of young people who had received court orders and

experienced the criminal justice system. The film will be distributed across the borough and across

youth offending services across London to use as a resource to reduce offending behaviour with

young people.


We are also busy working in partnership with the Richmond Children in Care Council (CiCC) on the

development of a new Children’s and Young People’s Plan (CYPP). This will consist of planning

consultation days to deliver at schools and youth clubs across the borough to ensure the voice of

young people shapes the new plan. It is part of the Council’s Engagement Strategy to involve and

work with young people in having a greater voice and shaping services, this is a great opportunity for

The Richmond Youth Council and the CiCC to voice the views of young people and work together.

In the last few months our CiCC has made leaps and bounds in terms of our action plan and pledge.

Our action plan was developed earlier this year with the support of the members of the CiCC,

Director of Children Services, Lead Member of the council for Children Services and senior

management. The action plan consists of an agreement of points between the CiCC and Richmond

Council on various issues regarding children and young people looked after and leaving care.

Recently, we’ve brought back the ‘YOU’RE IT’ magazine, after a two year absence, as we felt we

were not reaching out to all young people in the care of the Richmond Borough. The magazine is

used for and made by young people as a way of mass communication. This helps us to reach all

young people, especially those out-of-borough who are not able to keep up with what’s going on in

borough and within the Council. ‘YOU’RE IT’ consists of articles and updates on participation from

management, as well as cultural activities for looked-after young people. We also feature a

questionnaire to help enable young people to give their view in each edition.

At the end of last year the CiCC participated in the Total Respect’s ‘train the trainer’. ‘Train the

trainer’ focuses on developing young people’s training and facilitation skills so that they can co-

deliver the Total Respect course within their own organisation. Total Respect is a training course

delivered by young people based on their experiences in care to all members of staff in children’s

services in the Richmond Borough, for example, councillors, teachers, social workers, foster carers

and senior managers. The two day course focuses on children’s rights especially the United Nations

Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This helps staff look at children’s rights from a young

person’s point of view and gives them more of an insight into young people’s experiences in care.

In August 2012, we delivered our first Total Respect training to 14 members of staff from children

services in Richmond. This included management, social worker, etc. In the October half term we

aim to deliver our second two day Total Respect training to other professionals within the council

with the inclusion of foster careers. From this year on wards we aim to deliver Total Respect training

at least three times a year. We will keep you updated in future additions of our magazine on the

progress of the training.


Wandsworth

Antonia Dixey, support worker

Youth Opportunity Fund: £30,000 has been given out to young people and their youth projects in

Wandsworth (August - September).

British Youth Council's Annual Council Meeting: The Wandsworth Youth Council attended the

British Youth Council's Annual Council Meeting. They submitted a Youth Unemployment motion,

which was unanimously voted into the BYC's national manifesto.

Youth Inspectors: We are about to start our first Youth Inspection in Wandsworth. We are recruiting

new young people to take part in this project. They will inspect Play Centres and Adventure

Playgrounds and make their recommendations to budget holders.

Children and Young People Now Award Judging: Two members of the Wandsworth Youth Council

supported the judging of the Children and Young People Now Awards. As a reward, they get to

attend the award ceremony night in November.

Youth Momentum: The Youth Council have written their Youth Momentum promises. They will be

working hard to deliver these promises over the next year. These promises are: As a result of 182

young voices at the Youth Momentum Conference July 3, the Wandsworth Youth Council, are

determined to deliver a bigger and more diverse Youth Council, with up to 60 representatives from

across the borough. They will meet on a regular basis, and have the opportunity to:

• Have their say, meet decision makers, be consulted on issues that matter to them and have

fun!

• Promote positive youth role models in Wandsworth.

• Youth unemployment – start a campaign to support young people staying in education. They

want to increase the number of apprenticeships offered to young people in Wandsworth, as

well as help advertise these opportunities. The Youth Council would particularly like to

target 16-18 year olds in this campaign.


• Olympics legacy – run a campaign to increase the number and variety of sports provided in

the borough. The Youth Council would particularly like to encourage girls to take up more

sports.

• Recycling – the Youth Council would like to raise awareness of recycling and composting

projects in schools and youth projects.

• London disturbances – the Youth Council would like to start a publicity campaign to raise

awareness of all the positive things to do in Wandsworth.

• Youth volunteering – they want to promote opportunities for young people to volunteer in

their borough. This is to help develop their skills, improve their CV, meet new people and

have fun outside of school!

• We are very busy, and because of this, we have set-up a Youth Council Leadership Group.

This will help us get all the work done, but also allow us to keep up with our passions.


North East

Northumberland

Luke Bramhall, support worker

The Respect Equals Change (REC) Disabled Young People's Council got the opportunity to go to

London to watch a day of the Paralympics. The group went down and watched a variety of events

such as Boccia, Sitting Volleyball, and Wheelchair Fencing. While in London (some of the group had

never spent a night away from their families) the REC members looked at independence and had an

opportunity to navigate around, look after their own money, and take control of their own food

intake. This was an inspiring opportunity granted to the group following their consistent work in

tackling the negative stereotypes that young people have of disabilities. They continue to plan

upcoming events as well as meeting with various members of the County Council to develop a

promise for Children and Young People in Northumberland with disability. The group have

developed and delivered a workshop in a local special school. They have also changed the name of

the 'Disabled Children’s Register' to 'Info-Link' to make it accessible to as many people as possible.

Over the last month they have had representation on YPiN (Young People in Northumberland),

Takeover Day Steering Group, and the Northumberland Youth Cabinet Film making Competition.

North Tyneside

Julia Bradwell, support worker

• Young Cabinet Member for Environment won an award for organising and involving young

people in litter picks across North Tyneside Young cabinet member for Environment

attended a greener North Tyneside board meeting, which he found very interesting and

hopes to work more closely with them in the future.

• Youth Council took part in a consultation on North Tyneside new Youth Provision Strategy

and fed back their comments to decision makers in the Local Authority.

• Our UKYP member is busy getting the Make Your Mark ballots out to schools and youth

groups across North Tyneside.

• Our Young Mayor was invited to attend the Northumbria police cadet’s attestation evening

The Elected Mayor and the Director of Public Health in North Tyneside and the Health and

Wellbeing coordinator met with young person’s Health and Wellbeing group to consult with

them on how young people’s views can be fed into decision makers.

• The Young Mayor went down to London to review the report that has been written for the

Youth Select Committee on Transport.

• The Participation and Engagement team are busy recruiting 30 young people to be involved

in the British Council’s Active Citizen Programme.


• Youth Councillors are writing articles about their aspirations for the next Teenz magazine in

North Tyneside.

• Nominations are now open for the Young Mayor and Youth Council elections

South Tyneside

Alex D’Ambrosie, Area Services for Young People Manager

On Saturday 22

nd September 2012, just fewer than 90 young people attended a young people’s

Youth Voices consultation event at Ocean Road Community Association.

The event was co-ordinated by South Tyneside Council’s Services for Young People team. It was one

of a series of events held throughout the year to capture the views of children and young people

about important things that affect their lives. The event offered a series of workshops that allowed

young people from across the borough an opportunity to voice their ideas, concerns and ask

questions on a range of key topics that affect them, such as; careers education and advice, school

attendance, positive activities, anti-social behaviour, and drugs and alcohol misuse.

Young people’s feedback will be collated, analysed and then presented at South Tyneside Council’s

Children’s and Families Board. The report will be used to inform and shape future provision for

children and young people.

The event was also supported by Helen Watson (Corporate Director for Children, Adults and

Families), Cllr Joan Atkinson (Lead Member for Children and Young People) and Olympian Chris

Cook.


North West

Manchester

Emanuela Ekanem, 19, Youth Councillor and Young Peer

Since the 1st of September I have participated in a Youth Exchange in Stuttgart, Germany. Myself

and another young peer were representing not just the City of Manchester and his Youth Council but

the whole country and the British Youth Council. It has been an amazing and inspirational experience

where we had the possibility to share the works we are doing in our cities, to exchange ideas and

advices.

At the end of our short visit, throughout evaluation we decided that we want to expand this

wonderful experience by creating a youth festival, doing a short film with as partner as many

countries as we can and to promote another study visit hopefully by the end of May.

Trafford

Mark Bailey, support worker

• Findings from the youth cabinet's emotional health and wellbeing campaign were presented

to stakeholders at a CAMHS commissioning event in Sale.

• The Trafford Against Bullying policy, which was heavily influenced by youth cabinet, was

officially launched at a Safeguarding Board event.

• Members met with Trafford's Police Superintendent to discuss the new stop and search

policy in Trafford.

• Member met with Dan Moxon of NWRYU to begin work on a school nurse charter.

• Members attended the 'what's youth got to do with it?' debate at Manchester Town Hall as

part of the Labour Party conference.

• Members met with Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, to discuss proposed changes

to a local hospital and the proposed changes to GCSE's.

• Members gave feedback to BYC about their guides for working with young people of faith.

• Members continued working on their campaign to improve emotional health and wellbeing.

• Children in Care Council members Doug Gurr began his two year apprenticeship with the

Trafford Children's Rights Service.

• Members presented the results of their questionnaire sent out to all children and young

people in care in Trafford to the Corporate Parenting Board.

• Members planned an event where they will talk to managers in the care system about

common problems for children and young people in care.

• Members began planning the Children in Care which they will plan and host. They will also

decide who gets an award from nominations from social workers and foster carers.


Nick Brown, 13, Member of Youth Parliament

I had a meeting with one of the MP's in our area, Kate Green. I discussed transport, policing and

about the closure of the only A&E in Trafford. We said that the consultation currently going on only

touches slightly on young people and that we think a separate consultation should be going on for

young people in Trafford. We also discussed why her constituency has considerably less members on

the Trafford Youth Cabinet; she said she will look into it.


South East

East Hampshire

Liam Moloney, support worker

This month the members of the East Hampshire Youth Council have been working hard to write and

edit their Screamin’ Out Loud magazine. It’s a magazine written by young people for young people

and it’s distributed to schools across East Hampshire. It’s one of the Youth Council’s favourite

projects where they can really get their opinions heard. They write two editions each year and the

September 2012 edition is the 27th written by the Youth Council. This edition is focused on

Butserfest, a drug and alcohol free festival aimed at young people run by East Hampshire District

Council.

The Youth Council members ran a stall at the festival handing out info about the Youth Council and

they administered a questionnaire to try and find out how the young people attending would

improve the festival. They managed to get 72 people to fill out the questionnaires and their effort

will ensure that the festival can stay relevant for young people in the coming years. The Youth

Council also interviewed 5 bands who were playing at Butserfest for their Screamin’ Out Loud

magazine including the headliners Kids in Glass Houses.


East Sussex

Amy Gough, 16, Youth Cabinet Member and Young Mayor

I have been Young Mayor of Seaford since April 1st 2012

and I can’t wait to start planning the year ahead. I have

really enjoyed representing young people on the local

council because it gives me the chance to make a

difference in Seaford. I have been a part of projects such as

the Green Gym on our local recreational ground and the

Young Mayor’s Awards 2012. Personally, I feel that the

Young Mayor’s Awards have been the most rewarding part

of my role so far. This is because it gives the community a

chance to recognise talented and brave young people in

Seaford, and reward them for their hard work (for example

young carers will have the opportunity to spend a day as a

zookeeper in Drusilla’s).

I have also been an East Sussex Youth Cabinet (ESYC) member since November 2011, where I

represent the Coastal constituency. I am really enjoying being a part of the Youth Cabinet because it

has given me so many great opportunities personally and for the community, including the BYC

Summit.

The BYC convention was focused on career opportunities and work experience in local communities.

We took part in a series of activities that encouraged us to share our opinion on how we would like

to see councils deal with youth unemployment and the rising lack of opportunities for young people

in the work place.

As part of the ESYC I’ve chaired meetings and helped to develop campaigns; at a recent residential I

was lucky enough to Chair of the first half of the trip. I really enjoyed arranging the tasks and

agendas, and giving thought to how we could work. I think that I did a fairly good job of Chairing

because I kept things under control, but still made the sessions fun (I hope!).

On the 26th September, ESYC had its first working group meeting with East Sussex County Council’s

Economy, Transport and Environment department to explore setting up a 3-in-1 card for young

people. This was a fantastic meeting! We got a deeper understanding on how transport works in

the county, as well as exploring the challenges and opportunities within this, and share our aims,

goals and ideas with the professionals! We really impressed them with our knowledge! We now

have a good plan to explore further together.

Finally, ESYC asked to be part of budget setting for the year ahead and the county council are now

helping us to understand and be involved in the discussion of this process.

East Sussex has been at the forefront of developing and running successful Children in Care Councils

(CICC) since September 2008. Recently our CICC introduced the idea of SUSS IT sessions (Speak up

Sessions) where CICC members regularly attend our holiday activities to ask Children in Care if they

are happy where they live and if they needed help with anything. Some of the younger children took

the opportunity to ask for help with issues such as how to see more of their family or siblings or how


to deal with school bullying. The CICC are really pleased to help and it seems it is easier for the

children to talk to other young people in care who could identify with their problems. All the issues

are followed up quickly with their social workers.

Our CICC take every opportunity to let those in charge know about the issues that concern young

people in care. They have also met with the local judges, magistrates and the Children's Minister Tim

Loughton and felt really listened to. CICC go from strength to strength and we are so proud of them

all.

Kent

Tamanna Miah, 19, UK Young Ambassador

This was my first trip representing the UK at a European level

so I was bound to be nervous especially going to another

country I barely knew about! Luckily I was well prepped

beforehand by my fellow colleagues and UKYAs. When I got to

Cyprus I was left on my own by the other UKYA's as we were in

different hotels, but I had a bit of a chance to explore the area

and pick up some souvenirs before the busy conference

agenda started!

The European Conference of Youth 2012 was on ‘Youth

Participation and Social Inclusion’ with particular emphasis on young people with a migrant

background. Being a second generation migrant myself I could really relate to the daily challenges

that young migrants face despite having lived in the UK for the majority of my life.

From our migration roundtable as part of the UK consultation, three issues were really important for

us to share. These were access to all types of health services in an EU country, fairer working

conditions with more good practices such as vocational training, counselling centres and job

mentoring schemes and language as a barrier to getting the things young migrants need. It was an

interesting but difficult process, full of debating, spider diagrams, arguments and long discussions!

Taking all the issues from across Europe and trying to come up with 14 recommendations was pretty

tough.

I enjoyed meeting a variety of young people from all different backgrounds, it was interesting to see

how alike we were in terms of our thought processes and how many of us were on the same

wavelength - we had much more in common than I thought! I found it interesting hearing the

different stories of migrants and how active they were within their communities.

I thought it was interesting how the UK delegation were one the youngest and was quite surprised

to see adults over the age of 30 described as 'young people', I found that many were well spoken

and half the time I didn't understand their terminology.

My geography was improved as I learnt more about the history and culture of Cyprus than when I

left, particularly about the divide of Cyprus - Turkish part and Greek part! Although it was a surprise

to see 'Pizza Hut' around the corner from my hotel!


I want to see our recommendations being implemented and taken into account especially as it took

us a long time to narrow it down! I hope that they are turned into worthwhile policies or laws that

will have an impact on young people and hopefully change their lives. I want to see more young

people being involved in decision making and policy making, regardless of their background, so that

they feel they are also making a difference to others.

(PS. I also got involved with creating the film for the final joint recommendations which included

acting, miming, slow motion running, robot moves and high school musical jumps! Look out for the

video!)

Milton Keynes

Elizabeth Beale, 16, Member of Youth Parliament

What a busy month! With this year’s Big MK Youth Debate on the 26th October 2012 there is so

much work to do. We are so pleased to have some amazing panellists including Iain Stewart and

Mark Lancaster (MP's for MK), David Hill (Chief Executive at MK Council) and Gail Tolley (Director or

Children’s and Young Peoples Service at MK Council), as well as grateful for being allowed to use a

room at the Double Tree Hotel at the MK Dons Stadium again this year for free. The Debate gives the

city’s young people a chance to put their views on various issues to those responsible for making

decisions.

Young people are amazing and such a strong part of our community, yet they are often

underrepresented when it comes to making decisions, this event aims to change that. At the end of

the event the young people will walk away having learnt/improved a skill in the workshop session,

visited the info-fair stalls and seen the outcome of the panel debates when each panellist makes a

pledge to them. On top of organising this event the local youth MP's have finished compiling their

report on political education and are looking to present this to decision makers shortly. Let’s hope

they listen!

The Big MK Youth Debate has been funded by the vInspired cash point scheme where other young

people can go online to apply for a grant themselves.


West Sussex

Karl Clare, 21, Children in Care Council

West Sussex visit's Italy: What can I say about Italy? What can I say to explain the amazing

experience we had when abroad? Because frankly to me, it was next to none. I mean, personally I

hadn’t even been on a plane before this trip!

Arriving in Italy the first things that hit me were the heat and the smell! And then the realisation that

I certainly wasn't in England anymore. The week itself was phenomenal. I learnt so much, the

differences between home and Puglia a fairly large - from the way time is perceived to the minimal

amount of traffic lights in the town of Poggiardo! When there we had an amazing chance to interact

with both Italians and Turkish people, delivering training on the Mi-Voice system and social media as

a tool for consultation. Helping to lead both sessions gave me an idea of just how hard it is to

present something with a language barrier. There were members of the group who spoke either no

or little English and breaking that language barrier was really interesting and I learnt a lot from that.

We spent two of the six days doing cultural learning - exploring the local areas of Otranto, Lecce and

of course Poggiardo itself and observing the differences in culture between West Sussex and there

and again it was an invaluable experience.

I opted to do research on mental health while in the country and compare the attitudes to it in West

Sussex and Puglia, that way I could see if there was anything that could be mirrored back at home

for the young people I represent and brought into the Free Your Mind campaign which I am co-

leading nationally around breaking the taboos that surround mental health.

I found out a fair amount about how to break down the language barrier that was so prominent

all week as well as everything else. This was a real challenge but one that I enjoyed a lot – as did

most of the others on the trip from what I understand!

One of the day’s we were in Italy, we spent a while with Turkish and Italian young people talking

about social networking. Here is what Karl had to say about the day. We discussed with a group of

Turkish young people aged 19-24 about all the different types of social media that we use as a

consultation tool in England and also in Turkey. We compiled a list of these and that list consisted of:

Facebook, Twitter, Meetik, Tmblr, Wordpress, Badoo, Instagram, Formspring, Ask.me and

counchsurfing.

Facebook, Twitter and Blogs are the most popular forms of social media platforms within Italy and

Turkey. The Turkish people suggested that an incentive is used to engage an emotional response

from our Facebook friends as this would help us get as many responses as we possibly can. They also

agreed that it is a good idea to set up a specific research page or a new account in order to gain a

more professional opinion.

Social Networks allow more freedom for young people to explore their identities away from the

constraints of adults because in Italy, up to the age of 18, the young person does whatever the

family deem to be correct. Social networking is also very useful as it gives young people the ability to

pursue work opportunities be it voluntary or paid employment. It was very interesting to hear all the

different ways that social media is used by the Italians and Turkish, and also all the different opinions


on which social networking platform is most suitable for different things. In conclusion we had a very

good day and learnt a lot that we may be able to use back in England.

Overall the trip was phenomenal and we really had an amazing experience from it, I would really

recommend it to any group to do, because honestly the amount learned from it was amazing and

there is so much more now that can be passed on to our constituents.

Kate Moore, 18, Member of Youth Parliament

• Standing Officers Group has been set up to organise the work of the Countywide Cabinet.

They have an active role in managing funds, communications, and setting targets and

policies for the Cabinet.

• Youth Cabinet Reps are taking part in a Police and Crime Commissioner simulation event; at

which participants consider how a set of hypothetical but realistic challenges would affect

their organisation or interests.

• The Voice and Engagement Team hosts an exciting conference in early October: “So What?

Who’s listening to your VOICE?” with aims to define ways of measuring the success of youth

voice, and give young people more skills to shape services. It’s supported/delivered by

Health, Education, Police, BYC, and of course the Youth Cabinet, Youth MPS and Children in

Care Council.

• Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Day gains momentum in West Sussex, with a diverse

range of opportunities stacking up for young people to access.

• The Children in Care Council met to feedback on the EPIC Awards, and make suggestions for

next year’s event. They also completed a consultation on Health and Well Being needs of

young people in care.


South West Devon

Emilie Adams, 17, Member of Youth Parliament

I have been working with other young people’s groups, such as Young Devon who organised a

massive clear up of community gardens.

Dorset

Jake Carroll, 13, Deputy Member of Youth Parliament

This month I have been lucky enough to be able to help distribute money for YOF (Youth

Opportunity Fund) that will help many young people.

In early October I am also very lucky to be visiting the Big Ben clock tower with some other DYCE

members from Dorset; I will follow this in next month’s report. I am also helping with Dorset's make

your mark campaign.

Poole

Jack Matthews, 15, Member of Youth Parliament

September was another busy month, in which I worked towards our Priorities and represented the

young people of Poole.

• I helped organise a weekend of volunteering with

the lifeboat charity, the RNLI, at the

Bournemouth Air Festival. Over two days, 10 of

us engaged over 1600 young children with a fun

safety quiz to promote sea and beach safety.

• I attended the Borough of Poole's Young People's

Overview and Scrutiny Committee Meeting,

which was very informative in describing some of

the Council's changes to local youth services.

• I promoted the British Youth Council's 'Make

Your Mark' scheme by making a YouTube video

on the 15 issues, and worked to engage local

schools in the voting process.


West Midlands

Sandwell

Shobha Sharma, support worker

Campaign: The Sandwell Shadow Youth Cabinet (SSYC) has been busy representing the voice of

Sandwell young people through campaigns, engagements and attendance at events. Currently

amongst other duties, they are working on their first Campaign, which is Youth Unemployment. As

part of their campaign they are meeting with key officers, agencies and organisations responsible for

development of and providing employment opportunities for young people.

Alternative Olympics: Planning, involving and delivering to some 350 young people from across

Sandwell their “Alternative Olympics”. This included competitive team sports, penalty shoots,

climbing wall, dancing and lots more. The event was opened by the Deputy Mayor Councillor Vic

Silvester and Deputy Mayoress Carol Silvester.

Positive Activities for young people: Two members of the SSYC worked in partnership with the local

Community Radio Station RAAJ FM and promoted the work of the SSYC and United Kingdom Youth

Parliament (UKYP) and the, summer Positive Activities for Young People on offer in Sandwell.

Riots 2011: As the anniversary for the Summer Riots 2011 was coming up, Midlands Today made a

special report collating the views of younger and older people. Four young people from SSYC and

Smethwick Youth Council were invited to participate with one young member being on the panel.

MYP Abu Syddek was interviewed live by BBC Midlands about his memories of last year’s riots.

British Youth Council Annual Council Meeting: Four young representatives from SSYC attended the

Annual Council Meeting in Cardiff to celebrate British Youth Council’s (BYC) achievements and also

to help shape the future of BYC work, through discussion and debate. They also voted on a proposed

new Board of Trustees structure and voted people onto the Board.

UKYPs “Make Your Mark”: The Members of Youth Parliament and their deputies have actively been

consulting with their constituents to provide them with a chance to vote for their top issues which

they feel should be debated in the House of Commons on 23rd

November 2012.

West Midlands Police consultation event at Tally Ho: UKYP and SSYC members attended the

interactive Police Consultation event at Tally Ho Centre to provide their opinions and views on how

to improve the police service in its current form and as the new Police Crime and Commissioning

Authority.

Young people fed back that the event was quite interactive with a good flow of communication

between police and young people. Chief Superintendent Mark Robinson and Inspector Harvi Khatkar

were present to meet and support Sandwell young people.


Chief Superintendent Mark Robinson said:

“My engagement and ongoing relationship with young people in Sandwell and especially the

Youth Cabinet has been inspiring. The talent that our young people possess regardless of

personal background is clear to me. Our challenge and professional responsibility is to

harness that talent, working with them and more importantly, listening to them, I believe we

can make a real difference together. The disorders of August 2011 taught me many things

but not least of all that the vast majority of young people are good, keen to learn and want

to make positive contributions now and in the future.”

Smethwick Youth Council: Ahmed Boston – Chair of Smethwick Youth Council attended the West

Midlands Faiths Forum called Louder than Words – the riots one year on – now what. As a

participant he explored with others present the practical links between faith, family life and wider

society. Ahmed commented, “it was a worthwhile event and very informative”. He also attended a

ceremony to mark a memorial in Victoria Park, Smethwick in remembrance of the three young men

that lost their lives during the riots of August 2011.

Intergenerational Work: The Smethwick Youth Council has been in receipt of Proceeds of Crime

funding from the Police. The Youth Council are currently working on a project with local Smethwick

Soho and Victoria friends and neighbours forum to produce a theatre production which will highlight

the good work Smethwick young people are doing to improve the relationship between the police

and general community. The outcome will be to stage a performance to the local community and

local decision makers including the police. A DVD of the performance will also be available.

Oldbury Youth Council: Kind hearted young people and staff from Oldbury Youth Council gave up

their time to host the World’s Biggest MacMillan coffee morning to raise funds for cancer. Vakini

Shanmugaranjan commented, “I am excited and looking forward to the coffee morning to raise funds

for this valuable cause”.

Wednesbury Youth Council: Wednesbury Youth Council were delighted to find they had won the

first prize of £100 and a video camera for a Stay Safe competition run by West Midlands Police. The

competition encouraged youth groups to develop a project that could be used to send a message to

youngsters about staying safe on a topic of tackling the issue of mobile phone theft and grabbed the

opportunity to make an informative video.

The prize was awarded by WMP Chief Superintendent Mark Robinson and PC Treasure – Youth

Engagement Officer. Councillor Linda Horton congratulated the Wednesbury Youth Council on their

success and raising awareness of such an important issue. Cllr Linda Horton commented:

“The video is very true to life. It’s great to see young people coming up with their own ideas

and putting them into action.”


Wolverhampton

Hannah Scragg, 17, Member of Youth Parliament

Yet another busy few months for Wolverhampton City Youth Council – it seems like there is always

something to keep us occupied.

During the six weeks holidays members of Wolverhampton City Youth Council conducted an

exchange with Yorkshire Action Kouncil (YAK) which involved meeting their members and sharing

tips on how to run a successful campaign and also Youth Council. This was part of a tour of local

youth facilities, not just in Wolverhampton but across the Midlands, this also gave us the

opportunity to talk to other young people, and determine how we can represent a wider variety of

young people. The visits included local youth clubs, such as Springfield and Ashmore as well as

Ettingshall, Lunt and Chesserton Vision Centre, funded my My Place. The visits provided us an

invaluable insight into the Youth Service as well the opportunity to hear from the young people we

represent.

Members of the UK Youth Parliament also had the opportunity to attend the National Sitting, which

this year was held in Nottingham, the MYP’s had an amazing experience, and took part in some

fantastic workshops as well as hearing from some inspirational speakers such as John Bercow,

speaker of the House of Commons. Vennanda Madanhi member of Wolverhampton City Youth

Council said:

“The UKYP Annual Sitting has truly been an event I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. The

different activities on the programme have all been phenomenal from the public speaking

workshop to the Question Time. I enjoyed the motivational speeches from the likes of Mr

Speaker, Eric John and Franklyn. The question I would like to ask is what are the MPs and

speakers doing to help improve how young people are portrayed in the media?”

Youth Council members also got the opportunity to attend the British Youth Council’s ACM, which

was held in Cardiff this year. The event included the election of new Chair Rosina St James, as well as

Vice Chair and BYC Trustees. The event was enjoyed by all, with the highlight being

Wolverhampton’s own Jordan Dearn proposing a motion to BYC regarding Equal Marriage. He

states:

“Equality is at the heart of BYC. This motion concerns a key equality issue that I believe is

important for all of us to support and actively campaign on. Equal marriage is important to

ensure same sex couples have the same opportunity as heterosexual couples and to ensure

their relationship is recognised in the same way by our society. Currently in Britain, same sex

couples, deeply in love, who wish to make a long term life commitment to each other are

only entitled to a civil partnership ceremony. Same sex couples are unable to have their

relationship recognised as a marriage. They are not regarded as married and Civil

partnership is not viewed as the same thing at all. I put it to you, that Love is love regardless

of gender.”

This motion was passed, and all of us at Wolverhampton City Youth Council are extremely proud of

Jordan.


A consultation that was conducted by Wolverhampton City Youth Council regarding the 16-19

Bursary was presented via a report to local Councillors and decision makers at the Children and

Young Peoples Scrutiny Panel, in which it was agreed that further work needed to be conducted in

Wolverhampton regarding this issue. Some of the findings included when students were asked ' Is

the bursary scheme promoted well in your school? ' 361 young people said no or don't know with

only 60 individuals believing that the bursary is well promoted. A number of students portrayed

confusion about the new system, some unsure about how the money was distributed, who was

eligible and how to apply for the bursary. This can be seen in the responses of the young people in

which the most popular answer to our questionnaire was 'don't know'. Younger students also had no

idea about the new 16-19 Bursary Scheme compared to the previous Education Maintenance

Allowance (EMA), which was largely known by a number of secondary school children across the

City.

Exciting plans to develop a “Youth Zone” in Wolverhampton have also been unveiled. Members of

the council's Cabinet gave the go-ahead for the authority to provide £3m towards the construction

of the Youth Zone and a further £400,000 per year to its running costs. It also agreed to provide a

location in the city centre for the facility, which will be for young people aged 8-21 years old.

Members of the Youth Council have previously visited Youth Zone’s in Bolton as well as Manchester,

and the Youth Council supports the development of a Youth Zone within the City – provided it is in

the right location with plentiful access to transport, and should be affordable to all young people.

However we believe the Youth Zone cannot be provided at the expense of the existing Youth

Service; this includes youth clubs and youth workers, as this would have a detrimental effect on the

service provided but instead should be complimentary to the current Youth Service.

Wolverhampton City Youth Council also planned a Midlands Choose Youth Rally to take place at

Springfield Youth Centre on Saturday 22nd September 2012. Members have been planning this day

for months; this included organising the speakers, workshops, marquee, refreshments as well as

advertisement. Over 100 people attended the event, this included members from Birmingham Youth

Council and even Devon Youth Council – who definitely came the furthest! BBC Midlands Today also

attended the event, and interviewed several members of the Youth Council. It was great to see so

many people getting involved, and also hearing some inspirational speeches from Doug Nicholls,

GFTU, Birmingham MYP’s and BYC Vice Chair (Campaigns & Communications) Dara Farrell. I would

like to express a massive thank you to Marie Taylor, Lucy Goodison and Andrew Scragg – without it

the day would have not been possible as well as The TUC, who provided much needed financial

support, as well as all of the help from the British Youth Council (especially Paul Boskett).

The Youth Council intend to continue working hard to ensure

young people are represented not just locally, but also

nationally. Upcoming events include the Policing Dinner, the

NHS Council of Members and Wolverhampton City Youth

Council AGM.


Yorkshire and

the Humber

Barnsley

Clare Archer, support worker and Youth Council Coordinator

The Barnsley Youth Council, UKYP members and the Care 4 Us Council have had a busy month. Here

is an overview of some of the main areas of work for September, all of which have been supported

by the Participation and Inclusion service.

Make Your Mark: Young people across Barnsley have been taking part in the Make Your Mark ballot

we have received 786 ballots so far and hope to exceed the 2,000 target. To date the top issue voted

for is ‘make public transport cheaper, better and accessible for all.’

Transport Conference: On Saturday 22nd Sept York hosted a conference focusing on Buses in the

Yorkshire and Humberside region. Young people elected to the UK Youth Parliament and local Youth

Councils hosted bus service providers, elected members and transport officials from across Yorkshire

and Humber at a productive ‘Open Space’ style event. The young people were determined not just

to call for better services, but to seriously work with everyone involved in buses to make services,

cheaper, more accessible, reliable, safer, attractive to use and more convenient to pay for. The

Barnsley representatives shared the excellent Mi Card scheme which gives young people in Barnsley

up to the age of 18 reduced fares of 30p per journey across the Borough. The Mi Card scheme was

considered a good practice scheme and other areas would like to implement something similar. An

action point for the young people was to find out more information about school buses in Barnsley,

as it was identified that this area could benefit from improvements.

Young Carers Card: Work is continuing in partnership with Barnardos and two Secondary schools in

Barnsley to effectively implement the Young Carers Card. There is commitment and support for the

Card and work is progressing at a steady pace.

Big Conversation: As a result of the ongoing government spending review, public services in Barnsley

are continuing to deal with major cuts. As the Council continue to make further savings it is

inevitable that they will no longer be able to offer all the services people have got used to. Therefore

a week long Big Conversation took place with a wide range of residents of the Borough. The Council

recognised the importance of involving young people in this ‘conversation’ and various focus groups

took place including a very successful one with the Barnsley Youth Council and the UKYP

representatives. The young people discussed with key decision makers their priorities for the

communities which they live and for Barnsley as a whole. They also discussed the government

spending cuts and how these may impact upon future services and facilities.


Care 4 Us Council: The young people held their full meeting in September. The main issue the young

people agreed to take forward with the support of key decision makers was to work towards

improving local work experience and apprenticeship schemes for young care leavers this would be a

major step forward to achieving the overall aim of engaging more young people in the care system

into education work and training.

YAAG Panels: Quarterly Youth Area Advisory group panels take place across the borough. The third

meetings for this year are currently taking place. YAAG panel members are dedicated young people

who are recruited from the youth council, school councils and other youth groups. They are

supported by their area Youth Participation Worker to plan and deliver quarterly panels which

create the opportunity for other young people to bring their issues to the panel and with support

access key decision makers.

Visitors from Germany: Members of the Youth Council were invited to attend a morning with the

Mayor and other elected members to meet with visitors from Barnsley’s twin town Schwabisch

Gmund. One of the young people was an elected representative of the Schwabisch Gmund Youth

Council. Discussions took place around the differences and similarities between the two Youth

Councils and towns. Plans of how to link up in the future were discussed.

Doncaster

Jasmine Womack, 17, Member of Youth Parliament and Youth Councillor

Doncaster Youth Councillors held a meeting at the Mansion House this month where they presented

their priorities for the year to the full council, The Mayor and his Cabinet members. The meeting

went very well and the youth councillors received praise and positive feedback from ward members

in terms of their presentation skills and their chosen priorities which are to:

• Champion sports in and around Doncaster

– they aim to encourage young people to

get involved in sporting activities, they

believe this will improve social outcomes

which will in turn benefit local communities.

• Raise Awareness & Celebrate Multi-

Cultural Doncaster – they aim to raise

awareness of the diverse cultures in

Doncaster.

• Champion the equality of provision for

young people across the Borough – they

aim to promote equality for young people to

have access to somewhere to go, something

to do, someone to talk to in their

neighbourhoods.

During the course of the meeting it was suggested that the Youth Council should hold regular

meetings with the Mayor or the Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, this would enable


young people's voices to be heard at a senior level and ensure that Doncaster Youth Council has a

political and senior level buy-in from the Local Authority in place.

With support from the Active Involvement Team Doncaster Youth Councillors have organised and

planned Youth Surgeries across the borough. These sessions have been set up to ensure that the

voices of young people are heard at a local and neighbourhood level, the sessions provide the

opportunity for young people to discuss their issues of concern and voice their opinions on their

communities. The sessions are held at various centres across the borough. Ward members and

Youth Council members work together meeting peers and discussing issues of concern for young

people in their communities. Youth Surgeries help to build relationships between young people and

adults thus breaking down barriers and negative perceptions between the generations.

The second phase of Youth Surgeries are planned to start on Monday the 8th of October, we believe

this will bring us more feedback about young people’s views in Doncaster. At the previous surgeries I

found the young people were very eager to join in our sessions and present us with issues in their

local areas. The Youth Council is working with young people in all areas of Doncaster to receive their

views and feedback so we can make changes; we are holding 17 surgeries in local centres to show

young people our dedication towards ensuring young people have their say.

Hull

Ruth Cowlam, support worker

Young Carers Card pilot comes to an end!

In March 2012 the UKYP representatives launched the Young Carers Card in Hull. They decided to

pilot it in one of the local secondary schools – Winifred Holtby. There are five known young carers

who attend the school. The UKYP representatives have recently met with the young carers to find

out how the Card is working.

The general feedback is that it is working well for the both the young carers and also the teachers.

On Friday 21st September Wes (MYP) gave a live radio interview for Radio Humberside on how the

Card had come about. Billy, a young carer at Winifred Holtby, also gave a brilliant interview on how

he has benefited from having the Card. He said that before he got the Card he felt like “giving in”.

We will now be supporting the Card in being rolled out across the City! – Well done UKYP.

Transport Campaign: Since the transport campaign began last November the members of the UKYP

have met with representatives from both travel operators in Hull. They have been able to put

forward young people’s concerns with regards to the cost of bus fares, bus driver’s attitudes and

safety on the buses. One local bus company listened to the young people’s ideas and put on a

summer scheme. The same bus company is also keen to meet with focus groups of young people in

October to consult them on bus issues. We feel that now we have a direct link with the travel

operators and know where to go with young people’s transport ideas.


Make Your Mark: Throughout the last couple of months

the UKYP representatives have been out in force to gather

young people’s votes. They are eager to get to the 3,000

mark that they have committed to in Hull. On a hot

weekend at the beginning of September Hull held its

annual Freedom Festival. UKYP spent four hours in the

town centre speaking with young people about the

campaign and asking them to fill in the ballot papers. As

well as meeting new people they managed to collect about

300.

Well done! Goodbye and Good luck: Wesley Parkinson (MYP) from

Hull has played a major part in the work that UKYP does for the last

two years. He has worked hard and been totally committed to the

campaigns such as the Young Carers Card and the Transport one, as

well as the issues that are affecting young people locally. Young

people locally will remember him for his chairing skills at the Hull

Young People’s Parliament. He was elected as MYP at a Hull Young

People’s Parliament and was also recently elected on to the National

Scrutiny Group. Now after his two years of representing young

people in Hull he is moving on to York University. We (workers and

young people) will miss him and want to wish all the very best. Craig

Clark, Voice and Influence Manager for Hull said that Wes was “a

great ambassador for the young people of Hull”.

The Freedom Festival: The weather was hot and the town was buzzing and Tom, Evie and Wes saw

the opportunity to go out and get some ballot papers filled in. Between them, over the four hours

that they were out they managed to fill in about 300. Well done to them!

North Yorkshire

Liam Cutler, 17, Member of Youth Parliament

Busy month... as usual but the main thing was the Yorkshire and Humber transport meeting. This

was an opportunity for MYPs to meet with bus companies and county councillors, with both sides

trying to work towards a common aim: how to get more young people using public transport.

The day accomplished a lot. It was a great opportunity to express ideas. Each individual local

authority will now be able to work on the transport issues affecting them, in partnership with their

bus company.

Ride Around For £1: The scheme over the summer has now finished, with a huge 10,000+ tickets

being sold. Although some operators saw a fall in revenue, the scheme was deemed a great success.

It is fantastic to see so much hard work paying off - at last! But, that's not all... It was announced

recently that Ride Around For £1 is coming back FOR ONE WHOLE YEAR! The scheme will run until

October 2013. It will largely be the same, albeit with a few changes. Told you we've had a busy

month!


James Parkes, Youth Engagement Officer

We are pleased to see a continuation of the scheme with ‘One way £1’ (£1 per single journey) lead

by DITA the scheme will run from 27th October, weekday evenings after 5pm and weekends and

School Holidays at any time.

Sheffield

Support worker

A story of youth coming together - by Chiwoniso. D. Mukome

Over the past few months Sheffield Futures Involvement Team has been working closely with the

Community Youth Teams to set up Youth Forums / further develop existing ones, within Sheffield’s

seven community assemblies. Six out of seven Youth Forums are active and meet weekly or after

every fortnight.

Youth Forums give young people the opportunity to express their views and concerns to local

decision makers and CYP service providers. The forums also encourage young people to take an

active role within their communities and to make a positive difference in their local areas. The Youth

Forums link and feed into other citywide initiatives such as; Sheffield Young Advisors, Sheffield Youth

Council and UK Youth Parliament, therefore giving young people a voice on a much wider scale.

In order to guarantee representation within the Youth Forums, the involvement workers have

recruited two young people from each school and two young people from the local youth centres,

both from within their Community Assemblies. This approach has been effective in recruiting a

diverse range of young people. Each Youth Forum has been, or is currently involved in, a range of

work both exciting and inspiring.

The North East Youth Forum is currently undertaking an evaluation of Parson’s Cross Library. The

Northern Youth Forum will be attending a briefing meeting where they will formally introduce

themselves to their local councillors and present their key priorities for the year. The South East

Youth Panel is in the process of developing a skateboarding park and will be attending a public

meeting on the 26th of September where they will present a petition. Furthermore, the South East

Youth Panel is carrying out a consultation on young people’s provision in their area; their findings

will be fed into the South East’s Community Assembly plan. The South and South West Youth Forums

have been undertaking training on what being a Youth Forum member entails.

The setting up of the Youth Forums has been an exhilarating albeit challenging process. Nonetheless,

the team has managed to achieve its set objectives and will continue to empower young people and

make sure their voices are heard.


North Ireland

Antrim

Cliodhna Symington, 13, Member of Youth Parliament

This month I took part in a fundraising event for a local charity that works with young people with

disabilities. I went along to introduce myself as a Member of the UKYP and to highlight the

organisation to those involved. The event was an abseil to raise money for the Donkey Sanctuary. I

am really passionate about this charity as I have seen the difference the assisted therapy makes first

hand. In the end we raised £480. I think it is really important as an MYP to support local work with

young people from all backgrounds as it is my job to find out their views and needs and represent

them.

Belfast

Rory Copeland, 16, Member of Youth Parliament

This month I attended a residential for young people from across the NE of Northern Ireland. These

young people had been actively involved in leading and designing peace related projects in their

areas to address issues of sectarianism, racism and intergenerational tensions. I heard their

feedback from the groups and spoke to them about UKYP and the Make Your Mark Campaign and

the group of 70 young people all completed the survey.

Carrickfergus

John Cameron, 17, Member of Youth Parliament

Over the past month I have been meeting with youth groups and schools in my area to promote

UKYP and the Make Your Mark Campaign. These meetings were initially to do a lot of on the ground

work to try and get as many ballots completed as possible. It has been a great opportunity to

address so many young people and to tell them of the work of UKYP and also to get them involved

by voting on the Make Your Mark campaign. This month I became a bit of a celebrity as my story of

travelling to the annual meeting had been published in the local newspaper and sent through every

door in Carrickfergus. Again, it has been great in promoting the work of the UKYP.


Down

Serena Mills, Member of Youth Parliament

September is a busy month, with everyone heading back to school and back to routine. However this

is a perfect opportunity to spread the word about Youth Parliament. Since returning to school I

have been chatting to as many year groups as possible, telling them a little bit about what we have

been doing in the Northern Ireland Youth Forum and encouraging them to have their say.

September is also the month of the make your mark campaign. I have really enjoyed handing out

ballot papers in school and in the city centre and involving young people who otherwise would not

be interested. I have also returned to GB this month as a young leader. Despite the fact that they

are mainly under the age of seven there are a few older ones who took an interest.

Lisburn

Asa Mallon, 14, Member of Youth Parliament

One campaign I have focused on since I have been elected is Mental Health Campaign. This focuses

on the needs of young people in Northern Ireland where the rate of mental health difficulties and

suicide are very high among. Last year the Make Your Mark Campaign showed that Mental Health

was the second biggest issue in NI. Before the summer we did a small campaign raising the

awareness of exam stress. This month we have started to explore the second phase of the campaign

where we will promote positive mental health and a lobbying for better mental health services for

young people.

North Down

Page McLaughlin, 17, Member of Youth Parliament

This month I took part in suicide awareness day in the Stormont buildings and surrounding grounds.

I met some local ministers and inquired about their feelings towards youth unemployment, which is

one of the issues on the ballot that I feel passionate about. I made the ministers aware that UKYP

had put this on their ballot. I decided this would be a great opportunity to represent UKYP and

thought that this would be a chance to get some ballots filled in so took all my ballots along. This

ended up being a great success as it enabled me to not only get ballots filled in but also to inform

members of the young Northern Irish public about what UKYP do and how myself and my other

MYPs will be representing them in the House of Commons and have been representing them at the

annual sitting.

I have also represented Translink Youth Forum in the Translink advertising and promotional

campaign for the release of their new Youth card which was designed by Translink Youth Forum and

helped by the Northern Ireland Youth Forum. Photographs of this press release were in some local

newspapers.


Scotland

Aberdeen

Andrew Deans, 19, UK Young Ambassador

Between the 11th and 14th of September, young people and

representatives from youth ministries from across Europe

gathered in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia for the biannual EU

Youth Conference with Nathan, Tamanna and myself from the

UK Young Ambassadors forming part of the British delegation.

Every conference has a different theme and on this occasion

the focus of the event was young people and migration. In the

months before, each country had undertaken a consultation of

young people and in the UK over 1000 people took part. We

asked for their views and feelings on the extent of migration in

their community, the barriers they felt young migrants faced

and how these barriers could be removed.

After collecting our security badges, checking into our hotel and

catching up on some much needed sleep, the conference kicked off.

The first day of the conference took place at the historical Famagusta gate in the Old Town of

Nicosia. The morning was spent meeting as many delegates as we possibly could, before an official

welcome including speeches from Ms Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner for Education

and Youth, and Peter Matjasic, President of the European Youth Forum.

Then the real work began. The object of the conference was to produce fourteen recommendations

of action based on what young people from across Europe had said. These would be addressed to

member states of the EU and hopefully adopted.

The reports of all the countries, as well as some from international youth organisations, had been

summarised into 52 recommendations across 7 sub-topics.

We broke off into the seven workshops to explore the recommendations from each country’s

consultation and reports and to discuss some of the key issues. The workshop I had chosen was

titled ‘Youth Participation in Democratic and Social Life’, and it focussed on improving the ability of

all young people, particularly migrant young people, to participate in decision-making processes.

Over the next few days and after lots of debate, we had to agree our two priorities for each sub-

topic. Once we had our priorities, we then had to draft the recommendation. I chose to work on the

recommendation covering rights for political participation, as the right to vote for migrant young

people, asylum seekers and refugees had been a key request from young people in our consultation.

There was much discussion within the group about how far to go with our recommendation, but we


ended up with something strong: a recommendation that long-term residents of every EU country

should be allowed to vote in all elections.

After this, all the delegates got the opportunity to view the proposed recommendations from each

workshop and comment on them. Once the feedback was discussed, the 14 final priorities were then

presented to the conference and agreed upon.

The conference itself was a fantastic experience. In the four years I have been involved in youth

participation, I have never attended an event with such a fantastic mix of people and cultures, where

young people and ministerial representatives worked together to address issues which transcend

our own national borders. I made friends from Macedonia to Malta, Lithuania to Luxembourg and

everywhere in between.

Notwithstanding that, however, the experience taught me one important lesson - that behind our

different languages, nationalities and geography, we all have similar ideas about how to make

Europe a better place for young people, and that young people from 27 countries represent a much

louder voice together than we do individually. We now look to use that voice to see those ideas

transformed into reality.

Virag Erdei, 18, Youth Councillor

Grade A (Get Real About Drugs Education Aberdeen) received two awards at this year’s The Children

and Young People's Services Awards. The group received an award under the 'Healthy Living'

category and another special award, 'The Community Learning Award'. The group is a drugs

awareness peer education group that was set up in August 2010. Originally Aberdeen City Youth

Councillors made up the group but eventually some of them left and other non-YC people got

involved. These two awards marked a milestone in the group’s history. Right now Grade A is

developing a phone application for Apple devices and Androids. The launch of the app will take place

in November.

Grade A is also taking part in Take One Action! This project equips a group of people to screen a

movie that deals with a global issue. The screening in Aberdeen will take place at The Belmont

cinema. The group is hoping to get many members of the public along as well as many young people.

The movie that Grade A will screen is called ‘Blood in the Mobile’.


Glasgow

Kyle Thornton, 18, Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament and Chair of the

Glasgow Youth Council

This month, the Glasgow Youth Council launched its search to recruit 21 new Glasgow Youth Council

Members. GYC is currently composed of the 16 Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament for

Glasgow but it will be expanded to bring in representatives from the Education Sector, the Youth &

Area Organisations Sector and General Representatives. Anybody, 14-25 in the City is able to apply

to be a member and we're pleased to have received lots of applications so far! In my constituency,

Glasgow Southside, I've been continuing to be out and about visiting youth clubs and I've got some

very exciting school visits planned which will give the young people in my area the chance to tell me

what issues are important to them. I'll be in Holyrood Secondary in the next month or so and

hopefully then onto Bellahouston Academy and Shawlands Academy after. I'll also be campaigning

on the Scottish Youth Parliament's One Fair Wage campaign which aims to see people paid the

Scottish Living Wage as a minimum, regardless of age.

Already, organisations in Southside like the Govan Law Centre and politicians have backed our

campaign and I will be focusing on getting business on board! I'm also proud to have helped secure

extra funding for youth programs in Southside through sitting on the Community Planning

Partnership Board. A cool £30,000 will be invested in projects that are fun and give skills.

North Lanarkshire

June Ford, support worker

North Lanarkshire Council attended the Festival of Politics in the Scottish Parliament and really

enjoyed sharing their ideas with young people from other Youth Forums. They took part in debates

within the chambers on votes at 16 years and equal marriage to name a few. For the first time,

NLYC members attended the BYC AGC in Cardiff. This was a fantastic experience and since then the

young people have continued to contribute the on line consultations.

NLYC is also moving forward on their campaign to promote positive images of young people in North

Lanarkshire and challenge age discrimination. They are currently gathering support for this through

funding applications such as Truth About Youth and O2 Think Big. This month will conclude with

NLYC reps at a local Youth Conference in Bellshill facilitating a workshop on their campaign and

attending a Council wide consultation event on Equality.


Wales

Blaenau Gwent

Laura Beaton, Member of Youth Parliament

The Benefits of Being Part of a Youth Forum

When I first joined Blaenau Gwent’s ‘Talk it up!’ Youth Forum in 2007, I was greatly unaware of how

beneficial the youth forum would be to a number of aspects of my life. As a young person coming

from a single parent family, I strongly believe that the youth forum has provided me with a wealth of

life experiences and skills that I otherwise would not have been fortunate enough to have gained

had I not joined.

So what has the youth forum given to me that have made me the person that I am today? Firstly, the

youth forum has taught me that children and young people of all ages and backgrounds are able to

make a difference in their local area. I will admit that when I first joined the youth forum I found the

prospect of public speaking and debating incredibly daunting, however, my participation in the

monthly meetings soon helped diminish any self-confidence issues I held. In November 2008 I was

bestowed the privilege of becoming the Youth Mayor of Blaenau Gwent a honour I will cherish

forever.

My newly gained skills and confidence inspired me to study law at University and, ultimately, train as

a barrister. I strongly believe that my non formal learning experiences gained as a member of the

youth forum hugely helped me both academically and socially and without such opportunities

positive outcomes for young people would be greatly reduced.

Over the past 5 years I have been incredibly fortunate to travel to Poland, The European Parliament

in Brussels and China, all of which are destinations which have required me to speak publically and

grow in confidence in terms of voicing my opinions and networking with a diverse range of people

and cultures. Had I not been given the opportunity by the youth forum to travel to the European

Parliament I would not have been interested or motivated to then participate at the Model

European Union in Strasbourg in 2010. Model European Union is a large scale political simulation in

the European Parliament in Strasbourg, to which 180 young people participate from 27 EU Member

States. The selection process to participate in Model European Union is extremely difficult, with over

900 applications being received by the organisation each year with only 180 places being offered.

Similarly, the selection process for the UK-China 400 trip run by the British Council was also

challenging, with only 100 places being offered each year, both trips of which I was extremely

fortunate to be offered a place.

I am exceedingly grateful to the youth forum for the experiences they have provided me with as I

truly believe that I would have not been chosen to participate in Model European Union or UK-China

400 had it not been for the wealth of political and public speaking experience I had gained during my


time as youth mayor and as part of an inspiring youth forum. Additionally, I have built lasting

friendships and contacts both locally and internationally and experienced cultures and environments

that I never thought possible.

It is remarkable to reflect that such experience has stemmed from being part of a local youth forum,

especially in an area where sadly aspirations and employment opportunities are considerably low. I

would like to emphasise that the opportunities I have been given are priceless, and have been highly

acclaimed and advantageous when I have sought work experience or employment due to their rare

value. For this reason, the youth forum is vital for children and young people across the borough as

there are a number of youth forum members that have yet to experience life outside Blaenau

Gwent, it is more crucial than ever that educational opportunities are given outside the classroom.

There is considerable emphasis on being ‘taught’ life lessons where in actual fact the best lessons in

life are gained through experience and encouragement, both of which I have been given through

being a youth forum member.

Sophie Larson, Member of Youth Parliament

Article of Internship

Politics is at the heart of human life. The changing dynamics and the affects of politics can be noted

in all elements of society. As a carer to my autistic brother and a volunteer for a disabled swimming

charity I have always been aware of disability discrimination. I believe such a complex issue can only

be overcome by changing laws and altering attitudes. The desire to make a difference has fuelled

my aspiration to study politics in university and then embark on a career within politics.

I’m currently studying A-levels in geography, history, religious studies and sociology at Brynmawr

Foundation School. Eager to enhance my university application I was fortunate firstly to discover the

internship set up by the Social Mobility Foundation and then be accepted as one of their sixty

interns. The aim of the internship is to promote social mobility and increase civil service diversity by

targeting under-represented groups.

This August I travelled from Tredegar and spent a two week period living in London with the other

interns. At first I was slightly apprehensive of what my fellow applicants would be like expecting

them to be the stereotypical public school types. My fears mounted when I was informed I would be

the only Welsh applicant but upon meeting the others I realised I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Everyone was genuinely lovely and welcoming. Many held different faiths and nationalities and

came from diverse backgrounds and so understanding different cultures proved very enriching.

Everyone had a unique story and I am still in contact with many of the people I met and now

consider them to be close friends.

All of us selected were split across different government departments in Whitehall. I was placed in

the Cabinet Office which provided firsthand experience of the work civil servants do in order to

support ministers.

My time was spent managing my own project for returning Cabinet Office colleagues, attending

policy meetings and workshops, assisting my line manager and finally shadowing both directors and

director generals. Such jobs improved my communication skills and understanding of how large

projects are perceived and managed. Spending time within N10 Communications observing emails

sent to the Prime Minister from the serious to the weird was highly amusing and insightful. Finally


meeting influential people, such as, Baroness Warsi, gaining a letter of recommendation from Nick

Clegg and having a tour of Number Ten was incredible and astonishing.

My opportunity proved to be amazing and having work experience in a prestigious institution will no

doubt prove beneficial when applying for university and jobs. My experience was funded entirely by

the civil service and Social Mobility Foundation and this included many evening activities, such as, a

ride on the London eye, boat ride on the Themes and a West End show.

Overall my experience was enjoyable and inspirational. I would strongly recommend to everyone,

especially those interested in politics, to apply next year.

Caerphilly (Caerffili)

Joel Price, 16, Youth Councillor

So this month the Caerphilly youth forum have launched

our "no smoking in play area" campaign, and launched our

posters which will be displayed around local schools, youth

clubs, leisure centres, libraries etc. We have had an

outstanding response to this and everyone is behind it!

Four of our members: Me (Joel), Lewis, Johnny and Geraint

went to our twinned city Ludwigsburg in Germany. We went

for the It's Our Europe conference on participation in

Europe. We discussed things like the debt crisis, the

environment, migration and immigration! My topic was

environment, we talked about renewable energy and how

we can re-use things instead of cycling things out. We

talked about how other European countries follow Wales

with the 5p per plastic bag law. And how in Germany they

have a refund system: if you take bottles and glass back to

the shop you get money back for that item.

The last night I was chosen to address over 1200 people from politicians, young people to even a

former prime minister. I talked about how the youth of Europe want a European youth parliament.

The responses were amazing to what I said, and to represent Caerphilly was the proudest moment

of my life.

Later this month, Caerphilly youth forum will be having out borough wide meeting we're talking

about the UKYP and getting people to fill in the ballots, having a Q&A with newly elected councillors

and much more.

This month has been a very successful month for me and for my county! And I have really excelled in

what I do, making sure the youth of Caerphilly are listened to.

youth voice: positive stories (september 2012)

Documents

positive stories youth

youth councillors

youth representatives

youth groups

british youth council

work of young people

positive activities

north east