Agenda item

The Chair welcomed the Barking and Dagenham Youth Forum representatives to the Chamber, namely:

 

Viroshan Gnanapandithan - Chair

William Haggis

Ramat Ojetola

Jade Ramsey

Bethany Dowding

Roshelle Mitchell

Danielle Mitchell

Jessica Matovu

Faraz Hanif – Deputy Youth Parliament

 

Assembly received and noted the report introduced by the Corporate Director of Children's Services, who before giving the floor to the Youth Forum representatives, announced that last year's Chair, Paul Cox, had been awarded a place at Oxford University.

 

Jade Ramsey, who has been a Forum member for five years, introduced the presentation, stating that through the Forum she had built up her self-confidence.

 

Each of the Forum representatives spoke in turn about the work of the Forum over the last year:

 

The Media Sub-group:

 

This sub-group had wanted to raise awareness of stereotyping and developed their project by videoing the reactions of young people to a number of scenarios they were presented with.

 

The aim of the video was to challenge people's negative stereotypes and to get them to think more about how they view different groups of people in society.  It will be toured to various youth groups and shared with schools, as well as being uploaded to YouTube.

 

The Education Sub-group

 

This sub-group considered it vital to improve communication between the schools in the borough and the Forum, to promote working together to enable young people to have a voice and make a difference.  The sub-group was invited to deliver an icebreaker and workshop at the School Council Summit.

 

The sub-group also focussed on the content of Personal Social Health Education lessons and Citizenship and considered that the lessons should include information on:

 

·  how to open a bank account

·  budgeting

·  writing a CV

·  how to vote

 

They developed a survey/questionnaire which was sent to all secondary schools in the borough.  A third of the schools responded (285 responses in total) and the findings have been presented to the Advisory Teacher for Health, Jo Caswell.

 

Young Inspectors

 

In its second year as a sub-group, they carried out the following inspections:

 

·  Come Correct condom distribution – 10 pharmacies

·  Becontree Leisure Centre

·  Four inspections in partnership with London & Quadrant Housing Association

·  Subwize substance misuse service

·  Review of the Youth4Us website

·  One Patient Participation Group with one more in the process of completion

 

Young Inspectors have begun planning an inspection of the 14-19 Service, commissioned by Council Officer, Helen Richardson.

 

The Consultation Sub-Group

 

This sub-group undertook the following one-off consultations, in collaboration with council officers and external partners:

 

·  Jackie Chamberlain (Children's Commissioning and Procurement) - Borough transport operation

·  Shola Akala (Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Consultant) - Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy & Health Strategies in the Borough - Elizabeth Winnett (LSCB Business Support Manager) - LSCB Website Feedback

·  Kid space - Kid space Online Survey for Anti-Bullying

·  Manisha Modhvadia (Healthwatch) - Pharmacy services offered in the Borough

·  Simona Daniel (New Media Advisor)- Effectiveness of StreetBase Local Facebook page

·  Chris O’Connor (OFSTED stakeholder Engagement Manager) -  CAFCASS Online Survey

·  Helen Oliver (Group Manager Safeguarding Adults) - DV ‘Are you living in Fear’ Poster

·  Bobby Green (Community Safety Coordinator) – MOPAC (Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime) event around the closure of local Police Stations & Feedback on London 5th Safety Plan

·  Transport for London – TfL Online Survey School and Young Person Delivery Plan

·  Justice Board - ‘You be the Judge’ Online Feedback on sentencing

·  Phillippa Banister (Sustrans Coordinator) - DIY Streets Project in local community

·  Florence Jane (Health Improvement Specialist) - Sexual Health Questionnaire: Relationship & Sex Education

·  Chain Reaction – Spread The Word, teenage pregnancy prevention campaign

·  Perdita (Young person) - Human Trafficking project

·  Home Office public consultation on powers for stop and search

·  Education Sub-group - Improving School Councils

·  BAD Youth Forum – BAD Youth Forum format

·  Young Minds - online survey improving the lives and wellbeing of young people

·  Sex Education Forum – online Survey was your sex and relationships education good enough?

 

The results of each consultation have helped to shape service delivery.

 

UK Youth Parliament

 

Two Forum Members were elected in February 2013 as Member and Deputy Member of the Youth Parliament to represent LBBD at the Annual Sitting at Leeds University and at the House of Commons during Democracy Week.

 

The Deputy Member, Faraz Hanif, said his year had been brilliant and wished good luck to the next Member of the Youth Parliament.

 

Other Activities:

 

v  Children's Services Select Committee – attended by Chair, Paul Cox

v  Stubbers Team Building Day

v  Alton Towers Workshop Development weekend where they split into two teams to develop and deliver a "Dragons' Den" style presentation on how they would run the Forum, highlighting areas for development.

 

In response to questions from Members:

 

Ø  William Haggis said that the Forum had changed his life

Ø  All said they would like to stand in the future as Councillors/Members of Parliament

Ø  They stressed the importance of the Curriculum for Life – young people do not know enough about university tuition fees, which could be a deterrent to attending university.

 

Members commended the Youth Forum and the representatives who had given the presentation, with Councillor Worby, Cabinet Member for Health, requesting to meet with them to hear their voice with a view to working together to make a real difference.

 

William Haggis closed the presentation, thanking Assembly for giving them the opportunity to attend and asked that the Forum's congratulations be passed to Paul Cox, wishing him every success for the future.