The National Youth Agency - eYPU Issue 225, 08 Oct 2008

eYPU Issue 225, 08 Oct 2008

8 Oct 2008
This issue includes recent developments on community cohesion, with details of a Young Muslim Advisory Group and the first funding round of the Community Leadership Fund.

Community cohesion

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and Children and Families Secretary Ed Balls have launched the Young Muslim Advisory Group. Twenty-two Muslim young people will have direct access to cabinet ministers and will work with government departments to tackle discrimination, increase employment levels and combat gangs, crime and drug use. One of their first tasks will be to organise a conference to give Muslim young people the chance to discuss the challenges they face and their vision for the future.

Also of interest...

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has revealed the 22 projects that will share in a £1.3m Community Leadership Fund aimed at supporting Muslim communities to unlock the potential of local people to take a lead on tackling violent extremism. One strand of the funding will be to support youth-led projects which develop the leadership skills of young people - this includes both formal and informal activities and training such as sports, workshops and mentoring. Recipients of the first funding round include the Muslim Youth Helpline and Muslim Youthwork Foundation.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has published new guidance which sets out how teachers should hold debates in classrooms to help build mutual respect and understanding. A controversial element of the guidance will be to extend the 'in loco parentis' responsibilities of teachers to monitor whether pupils are developing extreme views and informing the authorities where there are concerns.

Positive activities

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has launched an 'Out and About' package, backed with £4.5 million of funding, designed to give schools clearer information on how to organise effective learning outside the classroom activities for all pupils. It includes a new Quality Badge scheme aimed at cutting paperwork by helping schools and local authorities identify organisations that provide high quality experiences and manage safety effectively. A £2.5 million initiative run by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation has also been announced to promote residential schemes for young people.

An Ofsted report has found that pupils’ participation and achievement can benefit significantly from getting involved with activities outside the classroom - but not all schools and colleges are reaping the full benefits, because some do not incorporate many off-site experiences into the curriculum.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sports has published findings from the 2007 Taking Part survey on children’s engagement and non-engagement in culture, leisure and sport. The survey found that almost all children aged 11 to 15 had engaged in at least one form of cultural or sporting opportunity during the past 12 months.

Cabinet reshuffle

Following the government's cabinet reshuffle last week, posts relevant to the youth sector are: Ed Miliband has been confirmed as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change; Liam Byrne as Cabinet Office Minister; Margaret Beckett(?) as Minister of State for Housing (attending Cabinet); and Caroline Flint as Minister of State for Europe. Phil Hope has been confirmed as Minister of State for Health and Kevin Brennan has moved to the Cabinet Office as Parliamentary Secretary. Also Baroness Delyth Morgan becomes the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families, while Sarah McCarthy-Fry is now the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools and Learners.

Rights

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has issued a report on the UK government’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which claims that too many children are being imprisoned in Britain and demonised as criminals. In the document presenting more than 150 recommendations, the body sets out a detailed critique of Britain's legal and social shortcomings. Minister for Children, Young People and Families Beverley Hughes has issued a written statement in response to the report.

Research by the children's charity NSPCC has revealed that around 160,000 young people over the age of 15 have recently been beaten by parents trying to assert discipline. The results of the survey have been released on the eve of a Commons vote on whether Britain should join the 19 other European countries that have banned corporal punishment in the family. The NSPCC said a poll of more than 1,900 parents showed one in eight children of all ages had been smacked during the past six months.

Statistics

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has published its Schedule for the Publication of National Statistics October 2008 to September 2009 forecasting the statistical publications planned over the coming year.

Third sector

The £2 million ESRC Research Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy, funded by the Office of the Third Sector, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Scottish Government and the Carnegie UK Trust, began work on 1 October. The centre will address issues such as the impact of economic conditions on donations to charity; what motivates people to give to charity; and how charities can use donations most effectively.