Report on the Active Involvement of Children and Young People at HDC 2011- 12

Three key activities took place to date to include the views and opinions of local children and young people within Harborough District Council. They were:

Speak Out Competition 2011 A creative competition for 10 to 18 year olds from the District to enable them to voice their views on a subject, whether local, national or global, positive or negative, using a wide range of creative means from film, to poetry, or artwork. This competition was held in partnership with the Lottery Funded Rural Youth Voice Project, which is hosted by the Council, and supported in partnership with Voluntary Action South .

Article 12 Events Two events took place within the District to mark European Local Democracy Week and National Parliament Week between the end of October and the beginning of November 2011. One event was held at Thomas Estley Community College, at which their college students and Lutterworth High students took part. A second was held at Robert Smyth , which involved both their students and students. The events included workshops around local democracy and Rights issues, as well as a Mock Vote for a favourite Councillor response from a choice of 6 video presentations.

Take Over Day 2011 The Children’s Commissioner’s Take Over Day is a National event, where children and young people are invited to get involved in the running of services in their area. Four Robert Smyth Academy Politics A Level students visited the Council Offices on 11 th November, and interviews Cllr Rook, and Anna Graves, as well as making decisions about funding applications for the Positive Activities for Young People funding, and gave their views about Physical Activity Levels and young people, and ideas for the Olympic Torch Relay preparations.

Swinford Wind Energy Project – Consultation with Villages on Community Benefit Fund The Rural Youth Voice Project is involved in supporting youth participation in the development of a funding distribution mechanism for the villages involved with the Swinford Wind Energy Project. The Community Benefit Fund of £44,000 over 25 years has been allocated to the area through the company Vattenfall (formerly Nuon), who leads the project. Significant views have been collected from 130 young people on the needs they see for their areas, and how they’d like the funding to be spent. The was done in partnership with local primary schools, and through use of The Chill Out Bus for evening sessions within key villages. The Parish Council areas involved are Swinford, Shawell, Misterton with Walcote, Cottesbach, Catthorpe, North Kilworth and South Kilworth. The full report is available on www.swinfordwindfarm.com

These activities help to contribute towards the Council’s duties in line with the following:

1 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Children Act 2004 Section 53 requires local authorities to give due consideration to the views of children and young people before determining what (if any) services to provide where these may impact on children and young people

Childcare Act 2006 Places a duty on local authorities to have “regard for the views of young children in the design, development and delivery of early childhood services”

Aiming High for disabled Children: Better support for families (2007) Outlines the need to “empower parents and their disabled children’s choice, and the power to take decisions about their own care and influence local priorities, to improve service quality and responsiveness.”

Additionally, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 12 says:

“Children have the right to say what they think should happen, when adults are making decisions that affect them, and to have their opinions taken into account”

Summary Outcomes of the Activities

Speak Out Competition Over 30 entries were received from young people, either individually or as class groups. There were entries from primary, middle and high school levels. There was particular representation from Lutterworth Schools. This is likely to be a result of being able to present information in person to the children and teachers through assemblies in this area. It was more difficult to do so in the East of the District. Finalists were selected for a number of categories, both age and entry type. Entries were in the main 2 dimensional pictures, but there were also, a few films, 3 D art, a play, and poems. All finalists were invited to an early evening Awards Ceremony held at the Council Offices on 14 th October 2011 which was attended by over 75 people, including Cllr Rook, Chairman Cllr Beaty and his wife, and Alan Duncan MP, and Andrew Robathan MP. The overall competition winner was Amy Sharpe, 15 yrs, from with her poem “It’s Just A Game” which focused on her concerns about the negative influence of violent video games. See the Appendix A for a full list of the issues highlighted by the entrants.

Article 12 Events 37 students between 12 and 14 years attended the West District Article 12 Event at Thomas Estley Community College on 28 th October. Lutterworth College had been invited to attend, but withdrew the week before the event. The content of the event was developed in partnership with a group of 8 Thomas Estley Community College students. They prepared a drama presentation on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, focusing on the right to play, receive an education, and have their views and opinions heard and responded to. 44 students between 12 and 18 years attended the East District Article 12 Event at Robert Smyth Academy on 4 th November. Kibworth High had been invited but

2 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266 withdrew the week before due to staff cover issues. 13 Robert Smyth Academy students were involved in facilitating the event and developing some activities. There were 4 workshops at Thomas Estley Community College (see Appendix B for details), and students were able to attend 2 of these each. At Robert Smyth Academy, the workshops were reduced to 3 due to staff shortage. The afternoon included a mock vote, where all students watched a video which included 6 presentations of approximately 2 minutes long, from 6 District Councillors who had volunteered to take part. These were Cllrs Janette Ackerley, Beesley- Reynolds, Sarah Hill, Phil Knowles, Francesca McHugo, and Blake Pain. The Councillors were asked to comment on: “What contribution do you feel children and young people make to the local community?” Students used a Comments Sheet to mark their responses as they watched each presentation, and scored each Councillor’s response. They then took part in the mock vote, using a polling station, voting slips. voting booths, and ballot box with support from HDC’s Electoral Services - Sheena Mortimer and Jo McEvoy. See Appendix C for a summary of the positives and negatives that the participants noted. The overall preferred response at both events was that of Cllr Blake Pain. An evaluation activity took place at both events, to gain the participants views on what they felt should Stop, Start, or Continue in their communities. The detailed views expressed are contained in Appendix D. Over all, young people felt issues of bullying, racism, graffiti and Littering and the stigmatising of young people were of most concern. They were keen to see increased facilities for entertainment and leisure, especially clubs/groups for young people. Things that they enjoy now that they want to remain include the Street Pastors, community events such as “Rock on the Rec” in and Late Night Shopping as well as Carnivals, and drama and dance activity groups, and the good parks in the District.

Take Over Day As part of the day, the students interviewed Cllr Rook and Anna Graves. They posed the same questions to both, which were:

1) “As we have 2 isolated traveller sites in MH, how do you aim to integrate these communities with the rest of the district?” 2) “How is our Council Tax spent e.g. what services does it provide?” 3) “Would it be possible to do a Harborough version of the Orange Rock Corps? (rewards for young people volunteering)” 4) “What are you going to do for the youth of the town? Harborough is lovely for the elderly and families but teens/young adults are neglected!” 5) “What is the purpose of the new Innovation Centre?”

Both Cllr Rook and Anna Graves were able to give a full response to the questions from their different roles within the Council. They also asked the students questions about their reason for studying A Level politics, and their thoughts on how HDC could improve its’ communication with local young people. Their responses varied – some had a clear passion for politics in its’ historical context, while others were driven to see social change and improvement through the political process, or an improvement of it.

3 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

The students also reviewed the funding criteria and process for the Positive Activities for Young People funding which a sub group of the multi-agency District Children and Young People’s Partnership, distribute as part of devolved arrangements with the County Council. They assessed the applications received for the most recent round of funding, and these responses were included in the next sub group meeting.

Additionally, they responded to questions from the Active Together Project team, relating to ways to engage with 16 to 19 year olds whose physical activity levels are low. They also made suggestions as to how the District should prepare to welcome the Olympic Torch as it passes through as part of the official relay route. See Appendix E for their suggestions. Overall, in their evaluations, the young people wrote that they found the day at the Council Offices “brilliant”, “fantastic” and “really helpful”. They found the interview with Cllr Rook a particularly good experience, and were keen to be involved again. One student commented that she really felt like her views did count now, and that it was possible for her to communicate with the Council.

Future Plans - How we Involve Children and Young People at HDC

There are many different ways to involve children and young people, and a variety of approaches is probably best. Different young people will respond better to different approaches, and we want to engage with a wide range of young people, from a diverse range of backgrounds. The way forward for HDC is being discussed, and includes the views of young people who attended the Take Over Day 2011. The following is proposed as the route we take:

Young Citizen Panel Sessions

HDC already has a Citizen’s Panel structure in place, but with a Young Citizen’s Panel running alongside, young people’s views will be included. This panel would focus on different young people each time it meets, rather than the same group, unlike the Citizen’s Panel. The Harborough Youth Council, which was formed around 2007, has been affected by both staffing cuts at the Youth Service, and at HDC, and is no longer the best format for involving young people. The remaining members, all of whom were from Market Harborough, agreed to dissolve the Youth Council in December 2011, and to support the new development of Young Citizen Panel Sessions. They remain as Youth Voice Champions for the District, and will be a conduit for information to and from the County Council youth voice structures which are currently also being re-developed. More Youth Voice Champions will be identified over the year to act as representatives for different areas of the District through the Young Citizen Panel sessions. They will be supported predominantly by the Youth Service’s “County Youth Support Worker - Voice of Young People” to engage with the County Council and UK Youth Parliament structures for youth voice.

Young Citizen Panel sessions will be co-ordinated and supported by the Children’s Rights Co-ordinator at HDC, with support from the Youth Service’s “County Youth Support Worker - Voice of Young People”. They will take place every 2 months at a different local school venue each time during school hours.

4 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

These sessions are designed to engage young people in fun, and engaging activities with three key aims: • Young People learn about local democracy and their rights to participate • Enabling young people to express their views on local issues • Consultation with local young people Each session will focus on a different area of HDC work or development. HDC staff from specific departments will develop the activity for their area of work with support from the Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, and will attend the session to support delivery.

Their responses and views will be channelled back through both HDC and/or LCC where applicable, in the same way as the responses through the Citizen’s Panel, to ensure all services affected by their views are notified, and a response is gathered to report back to the young people who attended the session.

Social Networking Sites

There is no doubt that facebook/twitter are widely used by young people as a communication tool. The suggestion is that HDC develop the facebook “page” as an outgoing communication tool, and establish a “group” from the page for both the Citizen Panel and the Young Citizen Panel.

This page can then be used for disseminating information about HDC, and will aim to gain as many “like” contacts as possible to ensure this information goes out as widely as possible.

The Rural Youth Voice Project

This is a partnership project with Voluntary Action South Leicestershire and the youth led group Enable Youth, and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund with in-kind support from HDC for hosting and line-management of the Project Officer. It has three more years to run, out of its total of 5 years.

The project has developed a facebook profile, and page, has launched a new website www.enableyouth.org.uk is currently launching an e-zine called “Speak Out” to enable young people to submit articles and comments about their community and concerns. The young people involved in the Enable Youth social media project are able to blog about topical issues on the site, as well as include articles in the e-zine. They recently supported the transformation process consultation with a blog and a linked survey monkey questionnaire aimed at young people.

Although the project has its own specific outcomes to achieve, the young people involved may be happy to include HDC related issues in their communications.

5 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Appendix A

Speak Out Competition – Issues Highlighted By Entrants

Litter/Environment – Too much around, and people need educating to be tidier. It affects the environment for both people and animals. Everyone needs to respect their environment more.

Poverty – Horrified by images of severe poverty around the world and want to help those in poverty.

Children’s Rights – don’t like to see children being badly treated and unloved.

Animal Rights – Concerns about the extinction or threat of such for certain species and particular concern for wolves.

Bullying and Racism – Concerns about the effect of bullying, and especially racially motivated bullying as they have friends who have suffered as a result of this. We need to fully accept different cultures as we live in a diverse society.

Football for Girls – concerned that girl’s football is not taken seriously enough – and that football is not just for boys. Girls are good at it too.

Self Harm/Emotional well being – concerns for the emotional pressures felt by many young people, which can lead to issues such as self harming.

University Fees and Educational Focus on Grades – concerns that at the older age range too much pressure is on young people to pass grades instead of considering a broader educational experience. Also concerns about the difficulties getting to University for many due to the high costs now.

Generational barriers – concerns about the misunderstandings between different age groups with too much unfair judgement taking place from both ends of the age spectrum.

Violence in Video/Computer Games – concerns around the negative effect of violent video games on young people who may not be able to separate fantasy from reality.

Homophobia – concerns about the effect on friends lives who feel they are not able to live without fear of criticism and discrimination.

6 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Appendix B

Outline of Workshops

Workshop 1 – Get Heard! Supported by the Rural Youth Voice Project – Participants will decide what barriers there are in making their voice heard, and evaluate the different ways in which they can make sure that their views count. Lead Facilitator – Sian Ponting – Rural Youth Voice Project

Workshop 2 – My Rights versus Your Rights - Equality and Fair Treatment for all When do your rights conflict with someone else’s rights? How do we balance the need to uphold everyone’s rights? Participants will take roles in small groups to look at how different people’s perspectives of their rights could conflict – and will explore issues of compromise. Lead Facilitator – Sarah Pickering – HDC Community Safety Partnership

Workshop 3 – Votes at 16? A Lively Debate Using guidance from The Debating Society, a mock debate will take place on the Votes at 16 issue, with participants taking sides. Observer participants will decide which side made the better case. Lead Facilitator – Stella Renwick – HDC Children’s Rights Co-ordinator

Workshop 4 - Local Democracy – What’s it all about? A look at the way local decisions are made in Harborough District Council by playing a game which puts participants in the role of local Councillor. Difficult budgeting decisions will have to be made with a limited pot of money. Lead Facilitator – Chris Sewart – Harborough Improvement Team

All participants will take part in two workshops from the four being delivered. They will be matched to their workshops in advance of the day to ensure a mix of ages in each workshop group.

7 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Appendix C

Mock Vote – Young People’s Responses to Councillor Comments

Comments they considered positives Children and young people considered to have good ideas and opinions Young people are fearless – not afraid to address issues Young people are not to blame – but are often blamed for things. Recognition that young people are all different Acknowledgement that older people need to be more tolerant and that younger and older people should come together more Encouraging democracy with young people Need to take time to listen to young people and learn from them Recognition of big contribution made by children and young people and their enthusiasm Praising/celebrating young people for their contributions/actions Seeing the potential in young people Seeing young people as the future – important economically Every young person’s voice matters Recognition that small ideas matter – can turn into great things Need to do more to get voices heard Don’t assume you know what young people think Making young people feel important Examples of good ideas started by young people Identifying with young people when you’re younger yourself Recognition of the wide range of many young people’s interests and engagement in clubs and groups Invitations to get in touch and give our ideas Positive opinions of young people Recognition of the stigmatising of young people Mentioning area specific examples Respect for young people Expressions of liking children and young people Giving your own views clearly

Presentation styles they considered positives Confident style Enthusiastic Honest Factual Positive Believable Professional Sophisticated Smartly dressed Clever Experienced Prepared Informative Energetic Happy Smiling Friendly Funny

8 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Clear/loud Calm/chill Eye contact Engaging Not using notes much – shows you know subject The use of good facts to back up comments Rational arguments/thoughts Sticking to the point

Comments they considered negatives Talking about others views of young people and not your own Speaking about irrelevant information to topic Comments which sounded fake and unbelievable Trying to prove a point too much Limited ideas about how young people contribute References to science and “sustainability” – too much jargon, and off the point Repeating stereotypes of young people – gives wrong impression of what you think and reinforces these rather than challenging them Comments which showed limited experience of the speaker Only mentioning examples in other areas to where we live Not enough around general young people – too specific to a few examples Use of clichés when talking about young people

Presentation styles they considered negatives Formality Too informal Nervous Rushing Shaky Slurred/mumbled/dull speech Space fillers- um, ah etc. Monotonous Speaking too quickly Using too complex language Hard to understand Speaking for too long Not saying enough Non child friendly language – adult style Over confidence Unhappy looking Poor introductions Repetition Lack of eye contact/downward gaze Lack of coherent argument Stating the obvious Not clear that you know what you’re talking about Mispronunciation of names Using unreliable sources for facts/definitions

9 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Appendix D

Thomas Estley Community College Evaluation Activity Responses

STOP

Bullying (7 mentions) Racism (4 mentions) Litter (4 mentions) Fighting (2 mentions) (The following were all mentioned once) Prejudices against Teenagers Drugs and Litter in the Park Meanness Anti-social behaviour Orders Building on Farm Land Murders

START

Extra stuff/upgrades in the park/new young people’s play areas (8 mentions – one specifically Gilmorton) Sports Centre and Pool (3 mentions) Shelter over Skatepark/Updated Skatepark (2 mentions) Shops (2 mentions) Play Pool at local youth club Nail/beauty Salon More equipment for the Community helpers More hours off school More youth clubs i-pads for school Dog/cat parks

CONTINUE

Youth Clubs (4 mentions) Drama /Singing/Dancing Activities (4 mentions) Library (3 mentions) Skatepark Competitions Sports Clubs Speak Out Competition Village Hall Stuff to Help People After School Clubs School Toilets

10 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Robert Smyth Academy Evaluation Activity Responses

STOP

Bullying (5 mentions) Graffiti (3 mentions) Drug Abuse/access to drugs by young people (3 mentions) Littering (2 mentions) Vandalism (2 mentions) Stigma/prejudice surrounding young people (2 mentions) Racism Chewing gum on pavement in Market Harborough Radical Protests Theft Poverty New Housing Developments (Farndon Rd) Derelict Buildings High Rise Apartment Buildings The state of the Commons Public Toilets (open until 10pm) Clean up the river Nastiness towards The Big Issue vendors Less fast food shops Pigeons Seagull poo in Welland Park

GO

Entertainment Facilities Cinema (5 mentions) Bowling Alley in Market Harborough (5 mentions) More activities at special events (eg Arts Fresco)/more carnivals/festivals/more activities for young people (3 mentions) More clubs and pubs/nightclubs for students (2 mentions) More leisure facilities in Market Harborough (2 mentions) More places for young people to go Another youth club advertisement More music venues Paint-balling centre Better skate-park Ice Rink Water World (near River Welland)

Planning More shops/clothes shops/more shops for men (4 mentions) Improve the town and area Big TV's in the street Better traffic systems (Market Harborough Town Centre)

Public Services Better/more public toilets (3 mentions)

11 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Cheaper Travel/Later Buses (2 mentions) Nature Reserve More stuff in parks and play areas Assault/Obstacle courses for older kids More access in parks for disabled people School buses from Ashley Way estate Education Centre More job opportunities for 16 + yrs Higher minimum wage

Community Focus Community Challenge Young people have more influence Add new Christmas decorations Charity drives More socialising Help old people (more activities for them) Community work

Commercial Better wages at KFC MacDonalds closer Longer Starbucks opening hours Shops open longer (like at High Cross) Lower prices at George Hall Cycles

CONTINUE

Community Focus Late night shopping (2 mentions) Christmas Lights & big tree (2 mentions) Arts Fresco Carnival showground Community Events Rock on the Rec Friendly People Facebook

Youth Facilities/Services Youth Clubs (The Cube) (4 mentions) Street Pastors (3 mentions) Youth Service Uniformed Groups (Cadets/Scouts/St. Johns etc) Satellite Centre (Market Harborough Youth Centre – LCC Youth Services) Chill Out Bus New skate-bowl (Little Bowden) D.A.S.H. Youth

Public Services Park facilities/Welland Park/Open spaces (3 mentions)

12 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Litter pickers Bin Service Public Toilets Town cleanliness

Planning/Commercial Expansion of town Joules Clothing Restaurants, Cafes, Coffee Shops Waterstones

13 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266

Appendix E

Ideas for Olympic Torch Relay/Olympic Games

DO

Use multiple screens/one large screen in the parks to show Olympic events or a run through of the latest action – for those who can’t go.

Chalk art on the road/pavement – featuring the Olympic themes – by children working with a local artist

Kids paintings on the lamp-posts

Children make a mural or bunting to line the route of the Torch

“Olympic Medals” created and hung from overhead areas along the route

Get shops to participate by putting posters in the windows/displays on an Olympic theme

Get people to wear bright coloured T-shirts/tops for the day

Quiz trail using the shop windows

DON’T

Flower displays to link to colours of Olympics

14 Report Author – Stella Renwick, Children’s Rights Co-ordinator, December 2011 – 01858 821266