The National Youth Agency - In the Know

In the Know - Issue 1, February 2007

Welcome to the first issue of In The Know from The National Youth Agency. Young people matter, you should know what is going on, and be involved in decisions that affect you. So we have started this e-bulletin to keep you informed about key policies and other things that affect you. You will find news, campaigns to sign up to, surveys to complete, all on issues that will affect your lives. It will be published every two months.

CAMPAIGNS – GET INVOLVED

Also of interest...

Your rights – tell the government what you think

The United Nations is asking the government to tell it how the rights of young people are considered in England. To do this, the government wants to know whether young people under 18 think it is doing enough for children’s rights, and is asking them to complete a survey. The survey covers a lot of areas including education, health and leisure facilities. Answers will feed into the government’s report about its commitment to children and young people’s rights. The survey closes at midnight on 31 January 2007. Take part in the survey>>

Young Scot needs your help!

Young Scot, a Scottish youth organisation, is running an e-petition to ask the Scottish Parliament to use new technology to involve young people in democratic processes, and to encourage other European parliaments to do the same. All young people across Europe can sign up and add comments to directly influence decision-makers across Europe. Sign the e-petition >> and Add your comments now>>

Help create new websites for young people:

Young Minds

Young Minds, an organisation that promotes children and young people’s mental health, is creating a new website for young people. It would like to hear what kind of sites young people find the best. Fill in the survey now >>

Young Voices

The Young Voices project, run by BT and the Guardian newspaper, is currently recruiting young people to create a youth website. Young people will be able to decide what the website looks like, talk about the issues that matter to them, discuss and debate freely and generally put the world to rights in a safe and secure environment. More information>>

POLICY AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Things to do, places to go, someone to speak to

Local authorities are now required to provide positive activities for young people - things like youth clubs, sports clubs and arts projects - and they have to listen to young people’s views about what they want in their local area. The Education and Inspections Act 2006 says that local authorities have to:

Secure access for young people to 'positive activities' These include:

o access to two hours per week of sporting activity
o access to two hours per week of other constructive activities in clubs, youth groups and classes
o Opportunities to make a positive contribution to their community
o Recreational, cultural and sporting experiences
o A range of safe and enjoyable places in which to spend time.

Take account of young people's views on activities and facilities available to them

They are required to find out young people’s views on provision and ensure that these views are taken into account.

Publicise the local offer, and keep the information up-to-date

They should provide a thorough, accurate and accessible information service for young people about positive activities available in their area.

The government has issued statutory guidance on how local authorities should do this which can be found at: Statutory guidance >> If you want to have your say the deadline for comments is 30 March 2007.

‘Cutting the Cake’ was an event which brought together 46 young people and 10 government officials, including Gordon Brown, to give young people a chance to say how they would spend money on things to do, places to go and the support they need. The young people had experienced different kinds of social exclusion such as homelessness, poverty or racism. They said that support from skilled workers is more important than activities and access to provision. They also wanted targeted programmes to help them gain confidence and develop the skills they need to take part in training or help them stay out of trouble.

These views were fed into the government’s interim report on its policy review of children and young people, which is now available. Full report>>

Buying cigarettes

From October the minimum legal age to buy tobacco will rise from 16 to 18. The government hopes that making the age for buying cigarettes the same as for alcohol will make young people more aware of the dangers of smoking. Find out more>>

Young People and the Media

If you want to use media to get your views across, then the Media Box fund may be for you. It is a fund launched by young people's minister Beverley Hughes giving young people grants to design and deliver projects in a wide range of media, from film, TV and radio to new media. Through this you will be able to develop your personal and social skills; gain new knowledge and technical skills; and have a chance to talk to decision makers about life in your communities and your hopes for the future. Find out more>>

EVENTS

5^th European conference on sustainable cities and towns – Sevilla

This year’s conference on sustainable cities is being held in Seville, Spain. The conference organisers will provide part funding for 20 young people to attend this event – particularly young people who have been elected to represent other young people. It offers a great opportunity for young people to discuss how to spread and speed up sustainability in Europe by 'Taking the Commitments to the Streets'. More information>>.

Children and young people’s rights

The Children’s Rights Alliance is running a free training day for young people on influencing decision making on Thursday 15 February in London. Call Ruth Golding tel: 020 7278 8222. More information>>

Youth Summit

The NYA is hosting a major two day event in June to support young people’s influence on national and local policy. With Gordon Brown likely to be the new Prime Minister, this is an opportunity to develop a manifesto for the new PM. The first day will give young people a chance to share their concerns and ideas with key decision makers. The second day will then move from words to action, leading to the manifesto. Further details will be put on the NYA’s website. If you have any suggestions for the manifesto, please email Lisa Souter.

RESEARCH AND FINDINGS

Young people and technology

Two new reports looking at how young people use digital media have been published.

The NYA has produced a report based on a recent consultation day with 10 young people examining how they use digital media – it found that young people were aware of the risks and were able to manage them. Read More>>

A report from Demos, an independent think tank, tells positive stories about how young people use online space to build relationships and create original content. It argues that the skills young people are developing through these activities, such as creativity, communication and collaboration, are those that will help them succeed in the future. Read the report>>

Young people and attitudes

A survey of 1,000 young people aged 13-18 carried out for the 100^th anniversary of the Scout Association has found that many feel frustrated at not being listened to. Family was the biggest influence on their lives, followed by friends. The survey also looked at the portrayal of young people in the media and found that nearly three quarters of articles were negative. Despite this, the survey found that young people care and want to make a difference in the world. Read the report>>

NEWS FROM THE NYA

RUCKUS

The latest edition of RUCKUS, The NYA's online magazine for young people, is available for FREE download now. RUCKUS is written both for and with young people, and contains a wealth of interesting and informative articles every quarter. Download RUCKUS>>

Young People and Public Transport

The NYA has produced a ‘spotlight’ briefing paper examining the issues that young people face concerning public transport. It includes examples of how young people have worked together to improve their situation. Download document here>>

Muslim youth work

The Muslim Youthwork Foundation has launched a new website to support and promote Muslim youth work. The foundation has been set up as a platform to connect youth workers and young people to the government. This website is a place to discuss issues, connect with the Foundation and build relationships with youth workers around the country. Visit the site>>

We would welcome your feedback on this bulletin or on particular features so please contact Alex Stutz. And don’t forget to give us your idea for a title!

If you want to subscribe to other free NYA newsletters Find out more>>