Camden Youth Conference on 20th January 2007
The Camden Youth Board is looking for young people like you, to be part of a Youth Council. We are recruiting
young people to be involved in decision-making in Camden and to achieve the best for young people who live,
work, go to school or even just go to a youth club there! We need motivated, dedicated and enthusiastic people … that means young people who want to make a difference, have fun (but be serious when needed!), meet new
people and make Camden a better place to be. A steering group made up of young people will be appointed to
do year-long consultation on how the Camden Youth Council should be run. Thus we recently organised the Youth Conference on 20th January 2007 at Haverstock School, and invited members of school councils and
youth club committees to come along, as these young people make decisions all the time. One young person
felt strongly that "being involved in decision making to try and change things, is far better than just talking about
problems".
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The attentive crowd at our Youth Conference 2007. |
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Groups brainstorming for new ideas. |
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Quiz questions with its interactive voting system, on the big screen. |
Me (extreme left) and my Youth Board mates. |
The Youth Board (seen here, in stylish red tops! =P ) worked hard to make it enjoyable and as interactive as
possible, so that it didn’t feel like a meeting, more like a chat between you and your mates. We used ‘Who
Wants to be a Millionaire’ style click pads for a quiz. Youth Board members and workers had a chance to talk to
young people to see what they thought about setting up a Youth Council and how it could change Camden. We
invited some Councillors along, as well as the Mayor of Camden. We not only had the chance to ask them
questions, but also for them to hear what we thought. If we want our voices heard then why not invite important
people along to hear it for themselves?
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(from left to right) Councillor John Bryant, Camden Mayor Jill Fraser, Youth board members: Tahmina and
Sianne, with Councillor Ben Rawlings. |
The day was a success, that required some careful pre-planning and organising. The whole Youth Board was
involved so that we could say how we thought the event should be run, as we know what young people are like!
It was important that it was planned well and ran smoothly so that everyone who attended gets the most out of
the day. Everybody on our planning team had a role, from choosing who to invite and how to set up the room,
to what activities to do and even what food to buy!
I find that these youth events are fun to organise but anyone considering joining the new Youth Council or Youth
Board should take it seriously too. Yes, of course you will meet new people and yes, you will make friends and
have a good time! The only thing that you have to remember is why you’re there in the first place and make sure
that you attend regularly, so that you can achieve the goals you set with the others. The more work you put in,
the more you get out of it …
Personally I first got involved with youth work about 1 ! years ago as a Peer Motivator of Camden Summer
University (CSU), a scheme run for young people. At that time I was too old to go to my local youth club but
still wanted something to do to help others. After that I worked with a group of other young people on the Xpres magazine’s maiden issue which was launched in March 2006. The big launch event included singing,
dancing, rapping, and basically showing off young talent. Every part of the event was dealt by us, with our youth
workers checking with us what we thought before anything went ahead!
We will shortly be recruiting for Peer Inspectors. These young people will visit youth clubs in Camden and
assess them to make sure they’re the best possible for young people to use.
So what are you waiting for? If any of the things that I’ve mentioned interest you and you feel like you’re up for a
challenge, then this could be for you! To get involved, please call Zulfi, the Camden Youth Participation Officer
on: 0207 974 8264 or email zulfiquar.rahman@camden.gov.uk
