Lewisham – Young Managers Board

Consultation was already live and kicking in Lewisham’s children and young people’s services when it put together its Young Managers Board. It began life as the Shaping Young Managers programme which had already built on the success of the work of the Young Commissioners whose grant making panel took decisions about applications and commissioned work under the Youth Opportunity Programme. With additional experience of the Young Mayors Project, Lewisham clearly had much to offer young volunteers in the community.

Members of the YMB met regularly in the prestigious Council Chamber of the Civic Suite and Oakridge Participation Centre to consider how to improve their service areas and to develop projects under the Youth Opportunity Fund. As a result, Lewisham, as well as its partners now has a focus on engaging new arrivals and BME young people. Lewisham is also a pilot Local Authority in v Talent Year.

To see what these experiences were like first hand, view their short film:

What they learned

Involve stakeholders from the start

• Using operational managers and scoping exercises explored the need to engage young people in determining, planning, delivering and evaluating of their services.
• They could then plan how services could be involved and how to recruit young people.
• They worked closely with the voluntary sector to bring different young people to the table. The result was a ‘virtual team’ to oversee the project.

Keep it real – listen to young people’s views throughout

• Lewisham asked young people to consider the benefits and drawbacks of participation and what a good young manager would need to be.
• The young people then elected young managers from amongst themselves.
• The Young Managers met quarterly with service heads to be kept up to date with their work and to say what they feel should be done to improve services.

Connect young people with the council

• Lewisham used civic venues for meetings.
• As the young people met with Service Heads, they felt they were heard.
• The service heads benefited from hearing real examples.
• Lewisham underlined the importance skilled youth workers who can be understanding as well political operators.

Leverage support from everywhere

• Lewisham advocate harnessing external pressures, including the voluntary sector and funding criteria to generate support.
• They also used participation champions.

Turn a project into an organisational asset

• Young People in Lewisham are to set up an independent Youth Volunteering Serivce – ‘Youth Desk’.

Find out about the authority’s ongoing good practice at www.lewisham.gov.uk