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

OVER 100 YOUNG PEOPLE ATTEND YOUTH CONFERENCE

Posted on by Sarah

We hosted our Annual Youth Conference on, Wednesday, 25 October at Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli. 160 young people, teachers and practitioners attended the Youth Conference this year, in what is the 20th Anniversary of the Carmarthenshire Youth Council, with discussions and workshops taking place to celebrate and raise awareness of Children’s’ Rights.

Delegates heard from the Children’s Commissioner, Rocio Cifuentes, who, as a guest speaker, spoke of the importance of listening to our young people. Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Cllr. Glynog Davies emphasised to the young people that their rights are reflected in the vision and policies of the Local Authority and that he, as does the Children’s Commissioner, has an open door policy to listen and advise our future generation.  

The Conference, named “RIGHTS TOGETHER: A Celebration of Children’s Rights” is Carmarthenshire first Annual Youth Conference since the pandemic and has been organised in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council Youth Support Services. We invited young people and practitioners from Secondary Schools and Youth Projects from across the county to take part in the event with the aim to bring together services and organisations to create an empowering and informative event for young people aged 11-18 years old within Carmarthenshire.

We held a formal Conference in the morning, where we ran workshops and discussions exploring what is a Right and an energetic Rights Auction which introduced the 42 Articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child or UNCRC for short. Working with partners, service areas, projects and organisations we hosted a ‘Showcase’ during the afternoon where young people took part and got involved in a range of fun, informative and engaging activities around Children’s Rights. We are extremely grateful to all the organisations, projects and service areas that supported this part of the event and played an important part in making the event such a success.

Thomas Vaughan-Jones, Youth Conference Planner said “I was really looking forward to the ‘Rights Together’ conference! It was a fantastic celebration of young voices and the importance of children’s rights. I hope the young people, teachers and professionals have leave the event feeling inspired and empowered to create positive change. It’s was a day filled with learning, and fun; and I’m so proud to have been a part of it!”

Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Cllr. Glynog Davies said: “It was a privilege to be present at this year’s conference, to meet with our young people and hear their views on the issue of children’s rights. It is so very important to celebrate and raise awareness of children’s rights, in our goal to make a better Carmarthenshire for young people. Thank you to each and every one that attended our Youth Conference today and for your valued contribution.”  

For more information you can follow the conversation on Social Media using #RightsTogether

Join the fun with us at our RIGHTS TOGETHER: A Celebration of Children’s Rights Conference

Posted on by Sarah

Hey, as a Youth Council, we’ve got something really exciting coming your way, it is our FIRST Youth Conference since the Covid lockdown;

RIGHTS TOGETHER: A Celebration of Children’s Rights!
Get ready to have a blast on Wednesday, 25th October 2023, at Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli 9:30am – 2:30pm. Click HERE to book your places.

Why children’s rights are cool: Children’s rights are like superpowers – They give you the freedom to be yourself, learn, have fun, and grow up in a safe and fair world. We are here to show YOU just how amazing and important they are.

Here are some of our Event Highlights:
★ RIGHTS CHAMPION: Children’s Commissioner for Wales: Rocio Cifuentes, to give the Key-Note speech
★ SUPER WORKSHOPS: We’ve got interactive workshops that will make learning fun! Dive into topics that will empower you to speak up when your rights are not met.
★ YOU LEAD THE TALK: We want to hear YOUR thoughts! There will be discussions led by our Youth Council members, who will listen, and truly care about your opinions and ideas.
★ THE BARN: There will be an abundance of organisations, with information and activities for everybody. Make sure to take part, as this is a once in a lifetime experience!
★ MEET NEW PALS: Connect with other young people and groups, who are passionate as you are about making Carmarthenshire a better place.

Why you should come:
★ LEARN COOL STUFF: Find out about Children’s Rights, and why they matter.
★ BE INSPIRED: Hear stories from young people and organisations who are changing our world for the better.
★ MAKE NEW FRIENDS: Meet other awesome young people and organisations who believe in you.
★ FEEL EMPOWERED: Get ideas on how YOU can make a real difference in your community.

How to be a part of the action:
If you’re a school, or part of an awesome group, working with young people aged 11-18, we want YOU to join the fun! Its your chance to shine, make new friends, and learn how to be empowered through children’s rights. Please click here for the draft programme.

★★★ SAVE THE DATE ★★★
Circle Wednesday 25th October 2023, on your calendar. Hopefully, we will see you there!

“RIGHTS TOGETHER: a celebration of children’s rights” is not just a conference; it’s a place to  have a great time, make friends, and be a part of something BIG. Together, we’ll make sure children’s rights are known and celebrated!

Stay tuned for more updates, live on #RIGHTSTOGETHER on social media, and on our website – We’re counting down to an epic day of fun, learning, and making Carmarthenshire  a better place; one step at a time!

BOOK YOUR PLACE

Article by Tom

 A Day to Celebrate Children’s Rights

Posted on by Iwona
Ending Physical Punishment in Wales

Trigger warning – Talking about physical punishment of children at home and in schools.

21 March 2022 is an important day for the rights of children and young people in Wales. This is the day when physical punishment of children will be illegal in Wales. Legislation put in place by the Welsh Parliament to prevent physical punishment of children, often called the ‘anti-smacking’ law. According to the Welsh Government they are putting this law in place to “protect children and their rights, to give them the best start in life”.

This is a significant and important thing that the Welsh Government has done, by giving legal rights to the small and most vulnerable in our society, they are protecting their futures. International research shows that smacking, hitting, slapping, and shaking a child leaves its mark not only physically but mentally. The emotional trauma is extreme, and a smacked child may see physical violence as ‘normal’, and the ‘smack’ circuit continues for generations. As members of the Welsh Youth Parliament, we discussed the ‘anti-smacking’ law and cast a secret ballot. A majority (70%) of members voted in favour of the ‘anti-smacking’ law, and a majority of children and young people across Wales support the safeguarding of their rights.

All over the world more and more democratic countries make physical punishment of children illegal. 63 countries have done so but many countries are still old fashioned, only 14% of the world’s children population has been protected so far. Sweden was the first country to stop corporal punishment in 1979. Legally in the United Kingdom, only Wales and Scotland have made it against the law.

The habit of smacking children goes back to dark times where physical punishment of children took place not only in the home but in schools. For example, during a time when the Welsh language was banned in schools. Pupils used to receive the cane at the end of the day, if they were the last person to receive the ‘Welsh Not’ plaque, for speaking Welsh. Fortunately, those days have passed because of the effects on the child are terrible. But we do not have to go far to see when the cane was used. In the United Kingdom the cane was not made illegal in state schools until 1987, and it was not illegal until 1997 for private schools. So, this bad legacy has been passed on until the end of the last century and attitudes towards punishing children are still not completely taboo.

So, if someone says that the physical punishment of children is still right inside the walls of a home, what should you say? Many say that physical punishment is fine because it shows that you love your child because you learn a lesson (no crossing the road when a car is coming). In response to that I would say that there are many better ways to learn that lesson, you can simply say that verbally. One smack can turn into many things, the boundary between a loving smack and a non-loving smack does not exist, it is a form of physical violence.

Authorities need to do everything possible to protect children from violence, abuse, and neglect, this is what Article 19 of the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child) says. I can be assured that Wales is one step closer to making the country safer for children and young people and putting the rights really into place in legislation, 21 March 2022 is a day to celebrate! I am looking forward to working to improve the lives of others facing domestic violence, inside the Domestic Abuse/ Never Silence the Violence subgroup of Carmarthenshire Youth Council.

Cai Phillips

Make Your Mark 2022

Posted on by Iwona
 
Have you had your say yet?

Every year we encourage and support young people in Carmarthenshire to take part in a national decision-making process. Make Your Mark is an opportunity for 11-18-year olds across the UK to have their say and begin their democratic journey by voting on the issues they want to change.

The results of Make Your Mark will influence hundreds of projects and campaigns led by and for young people across the UK!

Members of Youth Parliament and other young people in the community will campaign and research the most voted for topics, to influence the UK Parliament and their local representatives; ensuring that the views of young people are listened to by decision makers.

NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE YOUR MARK!

Follow the link below to cast your vote and to make a difference!

https://www.makeyourmark.youthimpact.app/register/me

Make Your Mark, Make a Difference!