October 2008 Archives

Arts Award, a national qualification for young people run by the Arts Council and Trinity Guildhall, is marking Youth Work Week with a publicity campaign to expand use of the award in youth work.  

Diana Walton, Head of Arts Award Development, commented: ‘We know that Arts Award works well in youth work and informal education settings – to mark Youth Work Week 08 we are congratulating 170 successful projects in full page adverts! 

‘We also know that many youth workers incorporate Arts Award within their delivery and now have expertise which others could tap into.  We’re calling on youth workers to share their experiences though a simple online survey. We are committed to developing guidance which is really relevant to the sector.’

Arts Award supports young people to explore their own arts interests and to develop communication, planning and leadership skills. Each student works with an arts adviser who may be an artist, teacher or youth worker who has trained for this role.  

Abbie Dunn, an Arts Award adviser from Stradbroke Youth Centre, said: 'As a relatively new Arts Award adviser…it’s been a real learning curve that I have enjoyed and I feel positive I could do again. The young people…all agreed that the challenge was worth it and feel they have achieved their aim as they are now seen more positively by older members of their local community.'

Youth workers are invited to share their experience of running Arts Award within the youth sector at www.artsaward.org.uk/youthwork by 30 November 2008.

On 3 November young women’s groups will be invited to the launch of  "Read My Lips" magazine produced by the Young Women' s Forum, while on 7 November 28 young people will be awarded their Bronze Arts Award by the regional director of the award. Local councillors and politicans are also invited to this event to answer questions which have been compiled throughout the week by local young people. To complete the evening there will be dance and music performances from young people.

Young people will be filming events throughout Youth Work week which will be compiled and DVDs will be distributed across the youth service, while local radio station Pure FM will assist in creating podcasts.

'Make an exhibition of yourself' is a Youth Work Week event in Suffolk designed to show how diverse, creative and inspirational the coutnry's young people are. Young people are creating art works for an exhbition exploring ideas around "getting your voice heard'.  An afternoon event on 7 November at the Hyndman Centre in Bury St Edmunds will allow guests and the public to come along and see life from young people's perspective, followed by an evening launch party which will see workshops and performances with young people.   

Thanks to Coventry for sending in extensive details of their Youth Work Week activities.

An event is being planned for Coventry City Centre on Saturday 1 November to celebrate young people's contributions to the Every Child Matters agenda.  Young people will be showcasing work that highlights 'staying safe' using graffiti board displays and musical performances that promote an anti-knife crime message. There will also be the launch of an anti-knife crime poster campaign with posters created by local young children.

Young people taking part in a local 'Goodie in a Hoodie' initiative, will also be there promoting positive images of young people, highlighting their ‘positive contribution’ and preparing for their role in Takeover Day later in the week.  A group of successful Duke of Edinburgh Award participants will be there to showcase the expedition work that they have 'enjoyed and achieved' throughout the summer.

Coventry’s SHADOW team has established six young people's health focus groups in secondary schools across the city and will meet during Youth Work week to discuss the standard of health education in schools.  On Takeover Day on 7 November each SHADOW team member will be shadowed by a young person, which will include attendance and involvement of a Health 'Turning The Curve' event hosted by the Children and Young People's Champion. 

The City has its own Democracy Project and during the week it will be taking four young people to attend the Children's Workforce Development Conference in Birmingham, while a further eight are to take over the running of the council’s Consultative Forum – based on a theme of ‘young people - saints or sinners?’. Another group will be covering Takeover Day events for the Coventry Evening Telegraph

Wood End Youth Centre is organising a visit to another regeneration area to meet up with young people and learn from their experiences. Youth workers are working with the police to help young people team up with officers and local councillors on Takeover Day for a walk, during which young people can talk about their experiences and concerns about their area.

Other local youth centres will be inviting councillors and parents along to show what young people are doing at their clubs, while the President Kennedy Youth Club are planning to promote the International Youth Conference for Peace and the 2020 vision campaign promoting messages of peace and a petition against nuclear weapons.

The pace of events is quickening now.      

Bury has announced a packed series of events and activities marking Youth Work Week starting from 27 October.  These range from a fun day for young people with complex health needs, to sports, arts and recycled fashion events.  Take a look here for full details: http://www.buryyouth.co.uk/Youth+Work+Week.htm

 The Institute of Race Relations is inviting youth workers to an event marking its 50^th birthday with a half-day conference on 1 November linking the history of the anti-racist struggle to problems facing young people today. Organisers describe the event as a chance to hear from those who have participated in anti-racist movements, share experiences and “ask important questions about the anti-racist agenda and its relevance to education and youth work".  Catching History on the Wing takes place at The NUT offices in central London from 1pm to 6pm  and features an address from Lord Ouseley, a screening of a film about Notting Hill in the 1950s and a panel discussion of Islamophobia. Tickets are £10.  For further details visit www.irr.org.uk or call 020 7837 0041.

Finally, The NYA has brought out a new edition of Youth Action to coincide with the week. This colourful magazine promotes is full of examples of how young people are getting active in their communities. it gives them a chance to share their stories of volunteering in projects such as Love Music, Hate Racism to a commuity radio station in Bradford that is helping youngpeople learn new skills and giving others the chance to get their voices heard.  The magazine is being widely distributed thanks to Cabinet Office fudning  - click here to see the magazine online or to receive a free copy email Rita Kotecha     

As if there's not already enough excitement on show at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium, the venue is going to play host to a major event for Youth Work Week in the North East.   Youth Solutions 08 on 5 November focuses on young people leading service delivery and meeting the objectives of the Aiming High vision. The event will be run by social enterprise “Just for Youth”, a young-person led team that aims to break down barriers and guide statutory and voluntary partners through youth engagement. Keynote speaker is Fiona Blacke, chief executive of The National Youth Agency, while Alex Brooks of the Children’s Workforce Development Council will also talk on involving children and young people in the development of the workforce.  For more details and to register for the event, visit www.just4youth.com/youthsolutions08 or call Just 4 Youth on 0800 0833731.

Meanwhile in Rochford, Essex,  a conference is being held in Youth Work Week to enable young people to present their views to members of the Crime and Disorder Strategic Partnership and the Children and Young People Strategic Partnership, with a view to influencing service planning and delivery. Young people are currently being supported by TASCC (team around the school, child and community) youth workers to produce video and other media for the event. 

The Wales Gene Park and its partners are using Youth Work Week to give young people a chance to speak out on the issue of the National DNA Database. This police database contains information from DNA found at scenes of crime or taken from those who have been arrested and convicted or acquited of a crime, or who have voluntarily provided a sample to help with an investigation. There have been calls for it to be expanded to include everyone living in the UK.    

A mock trial will be held at Cardiff Crown Court on 8 November with young people aged 16 to 21 forming the teams for the defence and prosecution. The young people will be recruited through Youth Offending Teams, youth centres and schools and the charge is: "A universal DNA database is an unreasonable infringement of civil liberties to the citizens of the UK".  

The event is being funded by the Wellcome Foundation and there is further support from the Unviersities of Glamorgan and Swansea and the Cardiff-based science discovery centre Techniquest  A summary of findings will be produced and circulated widely.  See www.dnadatabaseontrial.org.uk fro further detrails