Young people provide ‘food for thought’
A group of young people from Warwickshire helped lead a conference for the county’s voluntary sector youth organisations.
Warwickshire Children and Voluntary Youth Services (WCVYS) worked with the five young people on the ‘Food for Thought’ conference, which focussed on the ‘Every Child Matters’ (ECM) outcomes.
Representatives from 17 voluntary organisations attended including youth workers and youth leaders – as well as other young people involved in the sector.
The team planned, delivered and evaluated the day’s activities for delegates ranging from writing funding applications to involving young people in the planning of youth work activities.
Before the conference, voluntary sector youth organisations were asked to design a poster showing how their youth group met the five ‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes. The winning entry – ReVOLve – was picked by the organisers, with their design turned in to postcards that were also distributed at the event.
Helen Smith, Development worker at Warwickshire Children and Voluntary Youth Services, said: “It seemed perfect sense to involve young people in ‘Food for thought’ from day one because it highlights what we are trying to achieve.
“The conference provided a chance to ensure young people stay at the forefront of the county-wide agenda and that the voluntary sector has the every child matters outcomes at the heart of their delivery.”
The focus of WCVYS – which works closely with Warwickshire County Council’s Division for Young People – is to support organisations that help children and young people ‘somewhere to go, something to do and someone to listen’.
The charity achieves this through strong links with over 40 organisations, 400 groups and over 20,000 children and young people, and 2,000 workers in Warwickshire.
Funding from The Children’s Workforce Development Council and the National Association of Community and Voluntary Action enabled WCVYS to work with the young people and run the post card competition.
For more information about Warwickshire Children and Voluntary Youth Services, visit http://www.warkscvys.org.uk.