Young people are to have their say at events next month during ‘Youthvember’.
The events are to bring children and young people together to celebrate and develop the voice, influence and participation work that is taking place in North Yorkshire, some of which is in schools and some in wider community groups – such as the Young People’s Council (YPC) and Flying High.
Hosted by North Yorkshire County Council, the events will offer children and young people the opportunity to attend active workshops; visit a lively marketplace; meet and influence key decision-makers from the police, education; local authority and other organisations; get involved in interactive consultation activities and hear from other school councils and youth councils.
There will also be guest speakers including Kadeena Cox, the Paralympian athlete who won gold medals in both athletics and cycling in Rio, and Danielle Brown, who won a gold medal at the Beijing Paralympics.
During Youthvember, North Yorkshire school council representatives will be encouraged to develop their understanding of the potential impact of “pupil power’’ in their school and community and share examples of their successes in having a voice.
County Councillor Arthur Barker, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Youth Services, said:
We hope that children and young people will be inspired and empowered to further develop their voice, make a difference and make changes in their school, community and even globally.
The council has also written to organisations across the county about the national Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Challenge. The challenge is an annual event in England where organisations hand over the reins of power to young people, giving them a unique opportunity to learn how the world works.
Last year, more than 1,300 organisations across the country were “taken over’’ by 44,000 children and young people, including hospitals, radio stations, local authorities and schools.
Cllr Barker said:
We want as many young people as possible to be involved in the Takeover Challenge and for the opportunities to be varied and meaningful.
For more information on the conferences, or to support the Takeover Challenge initiative and allow a young person to takeover/be involved with part of your work for a day, contact the CYPS Voice, Influence and Participation team, Kathy Peacock, Kathy.Peacock@northyorks.gov.uk or Kevin Jeffrey, Kevin.Jeffrey@northyorks.gov.uk
