The power of youth is a force that we need to use to provide a brighter future for all.
It is a very positive sign that Ipswich was the first town in England to sign the 'Power of Youth Charter', which commits to helping young people to shape their communities and futures.
Ipswich as a town has an exceptional and proven partnership approach to encouraging the voices of young people.
Ipswich is a town of social action, and Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) believes in the ability of young people to make positive change and shape the town to provide a brighter future for all.
We believe our approach in engaging with young people to get their views is the way forward.
A great example of this has been the council engaging with organisations such as Volunteering Matters, 4YP and Ipswich Town Foundation to encourage young people to add their voices to the recent ‘Deliver You’ campaign.
This was an opportunity for young people to share their views, experiences, and ideas – and to tell the Government and councils what really matters to them!
Youth ‘hackathons’, where small groups get round a table and discuss a common problem with the aim of coming up with possible answers, in Ipswich have directly influenced the Government’s new 10-year National Youth Strategy.
Ipswich was one of only six locations in the country to host these hackathons and received much praise for the way they were led by young people for young people.
Another example is the Ipswich Social Mobility Alliance, this involves IBC, schools, charities and community groups. This alliance reaches young people of all backgrounds and has the aims of:
• Allowing young people to connect, influence and inspire
• Amplifying the leadership of young people and organisations in Ipswich
• Challenging inequalities and barriers to social mobility
It is through approaches such as these and making micro grants available to young people, who want to undertake local social action projects, that we will continue in our aim to make Ipswich a true Town of Youth Social Action.
As a council we are seeking a broader, flexible approach which allows young people to be more widely involved in a way which works for them, rather than relying on young people to get involved in a rigid process.
We will work with young people and the organisations which represent them to make sure that is in a way which young people are fully involved.
It was great to see the Civil Society Covenant launched last week by the Prime Minister, who said "Not the markets left to their own devices but a new way forward – where government and civil society work side by side to deliver real change."
Civil Society is anything that is not Government or business. In this case we are talking about charities, voluntary groups and individuals.
It’s fantastic that Ipswich charity Volunteering Matters are part of this, with a case study for their partnership work on the National Youth Strategy. It’s called “National Youth Strategy - putting young people at the heart of policy development”.
Who better to be in the driving seat of producing a new national youth strategy, than the young people themselves?
I was walking along the Buttermarket last Thursday, when I was approached by a member of the public. He wanted to say how impressed he was with both the Cornhill fountains, deckchairs and Jamacia Blue and how the Waterfront is looking, especially after the opening of Loungers.
The future of Ipswich is already taking place, and by adding the power of youth, we can drive the town further forward.
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