Youth gets its voice heard
One hundred people from a range of organisations involved with children and young people attended a workshop in Winchester to discuss the Children and Young People Plan.
The plan supports the Government's aim for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:
- Be healthy
- Stay safe
- Enjoy and achieve
- Make a positive contribution
- Achieve economic well-being
All the agencies from across the Winchester District that are involved with children and young people came together to generate ideas for an overarching scheme to benefit all the children in the district.
The organisations included 10 pupils from Kings' School who as well as having their say on issues that matter to them, also helped the adults to see things through their eyes. In future more schools are expected to be involved.
Cheryl Gerhardt, one of the pupils, was encouraged by the event
"The City Council has now started to take into account what young people want and have taken a big step towards a more productive and closer relationship with young people.
A lot of the discussion about being healthy, active, keeping safe, enjoying school, economic well-being and making a positive contribution came out, with very promising ideas and a lot of brilliant new ways to keep young people interested and involved and making sure Winchester is a positive and safe place for everyone.
Everyone was given their chance to express their feelings on certain subjects and all points were taken into consideration. By the end of the meeting most felt that they now had a better idea of what young people wanted.
We hope to see many more of these events in the future."
The results of the event will be put into the Hampshire Children and Young People Plan, the first draft of which will be out for consultation in December.