Making a Difference Together: Young Wales Representative

Posted on by Sarah

Hi, I’m Kai and I am the representative of Young Wales on the Carmarthenshire Youth Council. Over the past year Young Wales has done some amazing work and this Article is going to share it all with you.

What is Young Wales?

Young Wales is an organisation under the umbrella of Children in Wales, with the main focus being on Article 12 of the UNCRC. Young Wales, allows all children and young people from the ages of 11 – 25 to be involved in boards and forums to get their voices heard. We work closely with the Welsh Government on many of our projects and also have close connections with the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and her team.

Boards & Forums

Young Wales is made up of a number of boards and forums, each one with a particular focus on a subject, some of the boards and forums are:
★ National Youth Stakeholders
★ National LGBTQIA+ Board
★ Young Carers Board
★ The budget Improvement Plan Advisory Panel
★ Voting Democracy Board

National LGBTQIA+ Board

I currently chair the National LGBTQIA+ Board, with the main aim being to raise awareness and increase education around the LGBTQIA+ Community. We are currently working on a document to send to the UK Government to show them our stories, as well as working with the Welsh Government on the LGBTQ+ Action Plan for Wales.

National Youth Stakeholders

In the past year the National Youth Stakeholders have been working hard in partnership with the Welsh Government on the Mental Health Strategy.

Young Carers Board

In the Young Carers Board we are currently working on improving support for Young Carers, working closely with the Welsh Government to try and find ways that Young Carers can be more supported and recognised within society.

The budget Improvement Plan advisory Panel

The budget improvement plan is a government document that we as a panel aim to make young people friendly. We are doing this with the Welsh Government by making a bilingual, video game style animation, that summarizes the official document. We are now in the process of recording the voice over for the animation.

Voting Democracy board

This is a new group that has been set up to encourage young people to vote. We are currently working on a campaign to ensure that young people will be educated about voting and will vote when the opportunity is given to them.

The 30th anniversary book advisory panel

This project is to celebrate 30 years of Children in Wales, the book aims to educate young people on their rights and the history of Children in  Wales.  We are currently working with a team of illustrators to design the book.

Young Wales Festival 2023

The Young Wales festival 2023 took place on the 18th of November at Swansea University. During the festival many roundtable discussions took place where up to 15 young people were given the opportunity to share their views and opinions with ministers, the children’s commissioner, and government officials. The festival was a joyous celebration as it marked 30 years of Children in Wales.

Residentials

Young Wales has 4 residentials a year which take place all over Wales, the residentials last 3 days and give all volunteers the opportunity to socialize through fun activities, and share their views and opinions in meetings.

If you are interested in joining Young Wales, you can do so through their website Children in Wales | Putting children at the heart of our work or if you would like to learn more from a young person’s perspective feel free to contact us.

Article by
Kai

OUR VOICE: HAVE YOUR SAY AND VOTE NOW

Posted on by Sarah
A young person voting on a ballot paper.

We are excited to share “Our Voice, Our Vote, Our Future“… Our BIGGEST Youth Consultation! Have your say on what is important to you! This is your chance to directly impact the future of Carmarthenshire. The top issue voted for, will become the focus of our projects and campaigns, ensuring your voices are heard and acted upon.

Take a look at the TOP 10 ISSUES that made it onto the ballot paper…. and don’t forget to use your VOTE!

The TOP 10 ISSUES

Improving Mental Health Awareness in Schools
Promote mental well-being with additional well-being days and expanding opportunities for more extracurricular activities

Stop Body Shaming
End body shaming and raise awareness of its harmful impact on young individuals

Stop Anti-social Behaviour
Engaging with and creating more community spaces for young people. Educate more people about anti-social behaviour

Stop Vaping/Smoking
Limit access and make vapes less appealing for young people

Teach First Aid in Schools
Expansion on basic first aid by learning more life-saving techniques to save more lives

More outdoor lessons in Schools
Encourage greater outdoor engagement. Discover, grow, and learn where your food comes from.

Stop Bullying
More safeguarding and education for bullying of all kinds

The state of school and lack of funding
Increase funding for schools to improve their quality, giving young people a better learning experience

More Opportunities for Young People
More open days, apprenticeships and work experience for young people

Teach real life lessons in school
Beyond textbooks: Teach skills that launch life (finance, careers, CVs)

VOTE HERE!

Click HERE to download a copy of our Poster.

Together, we can make sure every young voice in Carmarthenshire is heard! Join in the conversation on socials by using #OurVoiceOurVoteOurFuture

TOM AT YOUTH SYMPOSIUM, MESSINES

Posted on by Sarah
Image of the group (18 people) who took part in the Youth Symposium. They are standing in front of the large central stone tower in the Island Of Ireland Peace Park.

Our member Thomas Vaughan-Jones, 19 of Llandyfan recently represented Wales and the UK in the Island of Ireland Peace Park: Youth Symposium held in Belgium.

The Island of Ireland Peace Park in Messines, Belgium recalls the shared sacrifice of those from the island of Ireland from all political and religious traditions who fought and died in World War One. A Peace Pledge, written 25 years ago, is on display in the central circle of the Peace Park.

As the Park marks its 25th anniversary, this year, Tom was one of fifteen young adults who were invited by Youth Bank International, and run by members from Corymeela, to create a new Modern Peace Pledge that reflects their priorities at the event that took place between the 9th and 13th November, 2023.

During his time in Messsines, Tom had the opportunity to meet with other young adults from across the world, from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ukraine and other home nations. Together they explored opinions and experiences of conflict, peace, harmony and justice. It was very interesting for Tom to hear the stories and history of others cultures and nations while also sharing his own experiences.

Image and PDF Link to the new modern Peace Pledge created by the group in Messines, Belgium.

Over the five days Tom contributed to reviewing the Peace Pledge and collaboratively creating a new Modern Peace Pledge which was presented on Saturday 11th November at a formal ceremony at the Island of Ireland Peace Park. Tom also took part in a tour of battlefields and met with Major of Messines.

Tom said “I had a really fun experience that I will never forget. I have made new connections with young people from all around the world, and hope that our important work over these five days will not be forgotten. I’m really thankful for this opportunity, and hope to take part in similar projects like this one in the future”

Sarah Jones, Senior Participation Officer for Carmarthenshire County Council said “This five-day programme empowered and inspired Tom and other young minds to explore conflict and building peace in global and local context. It was a fantastic opportunity and we are grateful to Youth Bank International for making the experience possible.”

Off To London We Go… For Olivia

Posted on by Sarah

Our UK Youth Parliament Member, Olivia, 17 from Hendy is preparing to represent Carmarthenshire and Wales at the UK Youth Parliament Annual Sitting taking place in the House Of Commons, Westminster later this week. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​The event, which is their twelfth sitting, is taking place on Friday 17th November 2023 where Olivia with other representatives will contribute to a debate and vote to decide the issues they will prioritise for their ‘Food for Learning’ campaign. 

Olivia has been a Youth Council Member for over 5 years and has been elected by other Youth Councillors to represent Carmarthenshire. She will be joining over 200 Members of the UK Youth Parliament aged 11-18 who will take part in a national debate in the House of Commons. Speaker of The House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP will be welcoming the Youth Parliament for their annual sitting in the house, with the afternoon sessions chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Nigel Evans MP

Olivia, who is a dedicated and passionate young person said;
“Being able to represent Carmarthenshire at the Annual Sitting in the House of Commons, London excites me. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity but also a little anxious. I’m particularly interested in hearing what young people from other places have to say and expressing my own views. I sincerely hope that I will have the opportunity to speak with many new people and explore a variety of topics that are significant to young people in the UK.”

Members of the Youth Parliament will vote. Each debate topic will be introduced with speeches from regionally elected Members of Youth Parliament, who will put forward arguments for and against the issue, before opening up to the floor. Following the five debates, each Member of Youth Parliament in the Chamber will vote for their top issue to decide which issue will become their national campaign for 2023

THE 5 TOPICS BEING DEBATED;
★ Holiday Hunger – Create provisions to ensure young people have access to meals outside of term time
★ Quality of Food – School meals should be made using good, healthy and nutritious ingredients and no ultra-processed foods. 
★ Standardisation –   Ensure young people all have access to the same quality and volume of food in schools. 
★ Financing and Funding – Create arrangements to fund school meals. 
★ Additional Pricing – Ensure the prices of any additional food are reasonable and consistent across the UK.

Following the sitting, Members of Youth Parliament will campaign on the issues they vote as their priority. They will also conclude their year-long efforts to draft their Parliamentary bill.

Sarah Powell, Carmarthenshire’s Senior Participation Officer said
“Olivia is incredibly excited to be a part of the UK Youth Parliament and it’s an amazing opportunity for her. It’s great to see so many young people engaging in politics to talk about issues that matter to them and contributing to making a difference, especially in the financially challenging climate that we face.  I’m so proud of Olivia in representing Carmarthenshire at such an important national event.”

The debates will be streamed live (with a 20 minute delay) on Parliamentlive.tv or you can follow the conversation on Social Media using #UKYPHoC

CARMARTHENSHIRE’S BIGGEST YOUTH CONSULTATION

Posted on by Sarah
Carmarthenshire’s Youth Consultation

Are you a young person living in Carmarthenshire? Are you passionate about making your community a better place? If so, we want to hear from you!

Carmarthenshire’s Annual Youth Consultation “Our Voice, Our Vote, Our Future” is a unique opportunity for young people aged 11-18 to have their say on the issues that matter most to them. We want to hear from young people from all backgrounds and experiences. Your input will help to shape the future of Carmarthenshire.

So, how do we select our topics?

On November 24th, we will be hosting an exciting event where school representatives will present motions and debate the issues most important to them. Following the event, a vote will take place to determine the top 10 topics for the consultation ballot paper. The ballot papers will be available online from January and will be open to all young people in Carmarthenshire aged 11-18.

How do we vote?

Voting opens online as soon as we announce the top motions that made it onto the ballot papers!

Stay tuned to our social media and the hashtag #OurVoiceOurVoteOurFuture to be the first to know when voting opens and to get updates on the consultation.

Make sure you share with all your friends so that they can get involved too – this is your chance to make a real difference in your community, so don’t miss out!

Article by
Lucas Palenek