Eco Action Team

Posted on by roderick
A voice for young people in Carmarthenshire on environmental matters.

The Eco Action Team was set up in November 2019 with its main aim to act as a voice for young people in Carmarthenshire focusing on environmental issues.

We have been busy running competitions, meeting with professionals and developing new ideas. We meet every month to discuss, develop and plan future projects. We invite guests to our meetings to gain a better understanding of environmental issues and with their expertise, improve our work.

Our members have been involved in the Walk the Global Walk project and contributed to the Climate Action Manifesto, as a result of which the Climate Action Consultation Group was established to monitor the progress of the document. CYC members represented our group in those meetings either by chairing or taking part in the discussions.

With new members joining CYC, we are planning to develop our ideas further and to raise awareness on environmental issues affecting our county. Through our work we would like to highlight what has been done so far in Carmarthenshire to tackle climate change and promote young people’s voices on this important matter.

We believe that children and young people need to change so that we develop good habits that can continue into adulthood. We all need to get involved and should share the same aim to keep our environment litter free, sustainable, and eco-friendly for our future generations!

Tom Addresses UKYP Members at House Of Commons

Posted on by roderick

Tom, 14 from Llandyfan is our elected member of the UK Youth Parliament for 2018/19.

Tom led on the 2018 ‘Make Your Mark’ Ballot in Carmarthenshire, which is the largest youth consultation across the UK with 954,766 young people taking part. Tom and his team encouraged 5,076 young people aged 11-18 years across Carmarthenshire to get involved and vote on the important issue that impact their lives.

The Make Your Mark Ballot Results (page 30-31) were revealed in October and the results for Carmarthenshire were: • 1,035 votes • 1,035 votes – Mental Health
• 620 votes – Tackling Homelessness
• 599 votes – A Curriculum to prepare us for life
• 599 votes – Equal pay for Equal work
• 595 votes – Put an end to knife crime

Tom joined members of the UKYP in the House of Commons on Friday 9th November to debate and decide on the most important issue to campaign on for 2019. Tom was amongst 24 members representing Wales at the event.

The 2 National Campaigns for 2018/19 voted on by the UKYP Members at the House of Commons Debate in November were:
1. To Put An End to Knife Crime
2. Votes at 16

On behalf of the Youth Council and the UKYP Tom has thanked all young people in Carmarthenshire that facilitated and took part in the Make Your Mark Ballot this year, the largest number of young people to vote in Make Your Mark since it began in 2011.

Tom said that “being a member of the UKYP has been the most amazing thing that has happened to me as a young person. It hasn’t only given me confidence and strength, but opportunities to meet people from all over the UK and hear their opinions that mean most to them. Votes at 16 campaign is a very special topic for many young people, as it gives us the voice and chance to help shape decisions that affect us most.”

It will ensure younger people are becoming politically active, and ensure they’re aware of the changing world and the decisions that can affect them.” He also added “A Curriculum for life is also a very important campaign as we, the younger generation need a curriculum that will prepare us for the busy world ahead of us. I’m very excited to be a part of, and see the work we have ahead of us, ensuring that we continue to provide the younger generation with a true voice.”

Euro Child Conference

Posted on by roderick

Euro child was a conference that  recognised children’s rights. This year’s conference was called ‘Children’s Rights Matter’: Why Europe needs to invest in children, aims to take stock of progress, address ongoing challenges, share good practice and bring together different perspectives. When we first got to Brussels there was a conference opening where many people spoke of Euro Child including the Euro Child President and the Queen of Brussels. We then had a welcome dinner where we got to meet other young people who were involved with Euro Child.

In our time at Brussels, I took part in 2 workshops and a study visit. The first workshop was ‘Participation in child protection: essential for sustainable safety for children and families with disabilities’. Within this workshop, we were shown how people with psychological disabilities feel in everyday life and how different countries have different policies regarding child protection. The second workshop was ‘How will we leave the world for children – the time capsule’. This was taken by two young people who were members of Children’s Forum society ‘our children’ Opatija, Croatia. Within this workshop, I learnt that the way we live our lives now will affect young people in the future. The study visit was ‘Vrienden van het Huizeken: an association of people in poverty’ we all found this very interesting – it was a house where homeless people could go to spend a few hours in the afternoon and have a drink, there were also support classes for parents to help their children with things like homework, this enabled more children to finish secondary school in Brussels.

Finally, there was a scheme to have housing for homeless people for a 6-12 month period to find a job and get off the streets. We then had a conference dinner followed by a disco to get to know other young people from around Europe. On the final day there was a human library, where young people and adults would tell their story. The first one that we listened to was about ‘Brexit’. This was a story about the campaign and how it would affect the UK, we found this very interesting as got to hear the opinion of other young people from the UK but also from around Europe and how they felt about the UK leaving Europe. The last story we listened to was ‘My normal gay family and me’. This was about a young person from Northern Ireland who lived with two mothers, this was very interesting as no one else in our group lived in a country where gay marriage was legal. Overall, we enjoyed the experience and found many aspects of it interesting and I learned so much from the experience.

By Jessica Rees

You’re Hired! Involving Young People in Staff Interviews

Posted on by roderick

We’ve been working with Carmarthenshire County Councils Youth Support Services and Participation and Children’s Rights Team to give our members and hopefully other young people in the future opportunities to be involved in the recruitment of staff for the Youth Support Services, especially those roles that work face to face with young people.

Youre hired! involving young people in staff interviews

We bring different skill to the interview process which differs to that of professionals, we look for qualities in a candidate that professionals may not look for, and therefore we can strengthen the interview process.

Amber Treharne, member from Pembray said that being involved in the interviews ‘was a great experience and insight into an interview process. It is absolutely fantastic that the council are encouraging the participation of young people in the process. As young people we can provide a different perspective of the interviewees qualities and how they interact with people of our age group. This has to be the way forward and I would love to see the County Council to give more opportunities for young people to get involved in interviews.”

Not only does having a Young Persons Interview Panel make sure that we have access to our Right to be involved in decisions that affects up but it can also help make sure the council is employing the right people to work with children and young people. A professionals interview panel does not always ask the questions that young people would like to know.

Sarah Powell, Senior Participation and Children’s Officer said that “Young people are good at thinking outside the box, and they know what they want and what they need from the people who work with them. Having a Young Person’s Interview panel is a great opportunity for a recruiting team and for the young people involved. Having the best quality candidate, due to involving young people in the interview process, can assist in improving outcomes for children and young people and the services that we are providing”.

There are a lot of benefits of having a Young Peron’s Interview Panel or having a young person be an equal member of a professional interview panel, having these opportunities to have a say makes us feel more empowered and demonstrates that professionals respect us and our opinions. It can also strengthen the relationship between professionals and young people, giving young people more confidence in professionals and services, as we feel listened to.

Our Mental Health Campaign #StoriHarriet

Posted on by roderick

I suffered cruelty by a group of bullies from the age of 11, who tortured me to the point that I felt so worthless that I began to self-harm and my mental health deteriorated. Since receiving the help and support I so desperately needed. I have fought to get my life back on track, took back control and now feel I am able to cope better with my mental health. With a little encouragement and a bit of support I have learnt to count the good qualities that I have that has helped me build up my self-esteem and confidence, I passed my exams and I found a job I love doing. These were goals I never thought I’d reach.

I am now looking towards a bright and positive future. With my past experiences and the support from the Youth Council and the participation of children’s rights team I am so excited to be launching our mental health campaign #StoriHarriet because my journey to being in a better and happier place began with a simple conversation.

I realised that starting a conversation can make a huge difference to someone’s life, I am asking you to back my campaign #StoriHarriet and promise to start a conversation as it could change a life by downloading and signing our #StoriHarriet Pledge and then uploading a photo to social media with the hashtag #StoriHarriet.

The campaign was launched by Cllr Glynog Davies, Executive Board Member for Education who signed the first copy of Stori Harriet’s Pledge at the conference with our Chairperson Brittany. Cllr Glynog Davies: “Harriet has an inspiring story to tell which will I’m sure give encouragement and support to others. I congratulate Harriet and the Youth Council for bringing this important and difficult topic to the forefront,” he said. “I hope that people will support and sign Harriet’s pledge.”

I got the inspiration to champion mental health issues and start #StoriHarriet since winning the Carmarthenshire Radio Child of Courage award 2017 in recognition for the strength, fight and courage that I have shown during my personal difficulties.

Over the past 2 months I have begun to share my story with other young people and adults alike, to raise awareness of mental health issues as recent statistics show that 1 in 5 people are affected by mental health issues in the UK. I am passionate to highlight the message to young people that it is a bad day and not a bad life. If you would like to read my story please click on the link StoriHarriet

Support us by downloading and signing our pledge!

Stori-Harriet-PledgeDownload PDF

Article by Harriet