Youth voice opportunities in May 2023

Devon Youth Council exists to get the voice of young people heard and to make a positive change. We’re continuing to grow and develop our youth council, and there are lots of opportunities coming up that we’d love to have you involved in!

Upcoming opportunities this month include taking part in shaping a net-zero future in Devon, developing opportunities for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities or helping to plan out the next Youth Voice Saturday.

If you’d like to get involved with any of these events, please email ukyouthparliament@devon.gov.uk. You can also sign up to the Devon Youth Council Network here.

Get involved and have your say in the next Youth Voice Saturday event

The next Youth Voice Saturday will be taking place on 17 June and will focus on 16+ life transitions. And if you’re wondering what we mean by life transitions, we’re talking any of big changes that you face after age 16 – such as leaving school, starting work, going to university, leaving care or moving from children’s services to adult’s services.

If you’re aged 16-25, you might like to think about your own experiences and views about any and all transitions or changes that you have faced between these ages. We’d love it if you could let us know you views and experiences about these transitions. Feel free to share this on social media platforms or wherever you think other may want to access it.

If you are a group leader and would like to capture the views of the young people you work with, please use this form to share the views of your group. You might find that you do this through having the conversation with your group, or through an activity, whatever works for the young people you are working with.

There will also be the opportunity to help plan what the event will look like, which decision makers will be invited and how we’d like to work with them. If you’d like to join these sessions, please email participation@devon.gov.uk.

Help develop new opportunities for those young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities

The Network for Change want to ensure that young people who are not represented in our current groups – including, but not exclusive to, those young people whose communication needs require a wider range of approaches – also have the opportunity to share their views on topics/issues that are important to them and to have these opinions taken seriously.

If your school has young people who might be interested in finding out more about youth voice but are unable to access our current groups, please contact our participation team by emailing either shirin.khastar@devon.gov.uk or amy.bickford@devon.gov.uk.

Speak up for young people with SEND in your school

The Youth Voice Participation Programme is a free programme delivered by our SEND participation team across local schools. The programme seeks to support young people with SEND to learn about participation, youth voice and democratic processes, both inside and outside of school. It also aims to help the young people gain confidence to be able to speak up and promote positive change for everyone.

This month we have launched in Haywards Primary School in Crediton, where we connected with a new group of children with SEND. Over the next few weeks, we hope to get to know these newest participants better and hear more of their feedback about their school and services.

If you are interested in us coming to your school next, please get in touch with Amy by emailing amy.bickford@devon.gov.uk.

Get your voice heard and be a Champion for Change

The Champions for Change group is open to children and young people (19-25 years with an EHCP) who are interested in making positive change.

As part of the Raising Aspirations of Employment Project, the Champions have developed a questionnaire for young people to help others share their thoughts and experiences about careers. The aim of the project is to improve outcomes for young people in special schools around paid employment. The questionnaire is still being finalised, but if you would like to share your views on this project or to find out more on the SEND Local Offer website.

Take part in imagining a future net-zero Devon!

It’s 2050. Devon is net-zero, and a lot has changed – but what does this look like where you live?

The Devon Climate Emergency are inviting people to imagine what life might look like, across Devon in a carbon net-zero 2050. What might where you live look life in this better future? More to the point, what would you want it to look like?  You are invited to create a piece of art, a video, even a podcast, whatever you like, as a group or as an individual and submit your vision for a future Devon. To submit your vision, and to find out more visit the Devon Climate Emergency website.