09/01/2012
UK Youth Parliament Meet With Deputy Council Leader
On the 21st of December, Members of UK Youth Parliament met with John Osman the Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People. They discussed a wide range of issues including youth crime and poverty. They also put forward questions on the proposed County Council youth service cuts.
Media Representative for Somerset Jaysen Sharpe said “I believe it is imperative that we make the best out of a bad situation and that we feedback to the council to make sure that the most venerable young people are supported”
He also said “That it is important that the County Council continue to consult and work closely with UK Youth Parliament to insure that the councils youth policies are in the best interest of young people”
The young people said that they believed that the remaining youth services should be targeted at areas with high levels of deprivation, crime and youth employment.
To find out more about the UK Youth Parliament in Somerset:
or contact Kate Darlington, Youth & Community Worker
Email: kdarlington@somerset.gov.uk
Phone: 01823 410136
09/01/2012
UKYP Award for Taunton Student
Jaysen Sharpe, Deputy Member of UK Youth Parliament, was presented with an award last month for his role in organising Somerset's involvement in the elections for the House of Commons debate. Jaysen ran politics workshops in schools to link in with this vote and managed to get 3,000 young people from across Somerset to take part in the vote.
Jaysen said: “The amount of young people voting in Somerset shows that young people are interested in politics” and added that he was “very pleased” to have be recognised for his role in this.
Over 65,000 votes were cast nationally with the South West polling over 10,000; the biggest regional contribution
To find out more about the UK Youth Parliament in Somerset:
or contact Kate Darlington, Youth & Community Worker
Email: kdarlington@somerset.gov.uk
Phone: 01823 410136
12/12/2011
New Youth Equipment Store Catalogues!
The office is a flurry of activity! We've taken delivery of the new Youth Equipment Store catalogues so it's all hands on deck to get them sent out as soon as possible...we don't want anyone missing out!
The YES has always had a wide range of equipment for young people (and those who work with them) to hire at very reasonable rates. This includes tents, walking boots, rucksacks, sleeping bags, climbing equipment and stage lighting etc. The availability of this kit has made it possible for lots of young people to get involved in activities and opportunities (such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award) which they wouldn't have had access to if they'd had to buy equipment for themselves.
The YES, in partnership with the Aiming High Programme, has recently obtained a fantastic range of equipment for children and young people with additional needs. This includes:
◦lots of sensory toys
◦mobility equipment such as all-terrain buggies and portable wheelchair ramps etc
◦safety equipment including inflatable 'safe sides' for beds and 'sleeping safe space'
To find out more about the store or download copies of the new catalogues click to visit the
Youth Equipment Store Webpages
You can contact the YES direct by email at YES@somerset.gov.uk or by phone on 01823 410131
19/10/2011
Social Media
Recently, it has become unavoidably obvious that social media applications such a Facebook and YouTube have become key methods of communication for the young people we work with. In response to this, the Youth and Community Service has been dipping its collective toe into the waters of Facebook and Twitter!
We aim to make it easier for young people, parents and the adults who work with them to find out about opportunities and resources available to them and raise awareness of what the Youth and Community Service has to offer.
We are setting up Facebook pages for each of the clubs and projects supported or run by SCC and we're working hard to keep this website up to date and interesting. Various staff members now have 'professional' Facebook profiles which they will use to interact with the young people in their communities. Members of the Youth and Community Service Central Team have Twitter accounts and are tackling the steep learning curve associated with starting to use them.
Of course all this relies very much on developing interaction with users (young and 'older' people alike!) so your comments are always very much appreciated. If you would like to speak to us about using Social Media - whether you would like to ask for advice or offer some feedback, please contact:
Angela Derry - Project Support Officer (Youth and Community)
Tel: 01823 410134
Email: aderry@somerset.gov.uk
17/10/2011
Young people doing it for themselves!
The Somerset UK Youth Parliament MYPs, deputies and advisory group are six months into their two year term and have already been working really hard. They have chosen to concentrate mainly on their manifesto areas of
- Things to do, places to go
- Transport
- Bullying and discrimination
- Positive imagery of young people
but they have been involved in lots of other areas of work as well.
They have a produced a brief summary of their achievements to date which you can download from their web pages on the SomersetYouth site.
