A presentation given at one of the National Youth Agency's regional events on the Governments new ten year youth strategy, "Aiming High for Young People".

1. Workshop 2:
A Vision For Empowerment –
Young People’s Participation
David McWilliams: Head of Youth
Services Nottingham City Council

2. Aim:
Stimulate discussion and thinking …
• Explore how services will rise to the challenges
set out in Aiming High for Young People
• Look at potential empowerment opportunities
within Integrated Services to support
participation. through; Governance,
Volunteering, Decision Making, Inspections,
Empowering Young People Pilots, Grant giving,
commissioning and Citizenship

3. Making the links…
The Ten Year Strategy provides the framework for
progressing the 4 key challenges identified within Youth
Matters, July 2005.
• Empowering Young People: Things to do and places
to go
• Young People as Citizens: Making a contribution
• Supporting Choices: Information, advice and guidance
(IAG)
• All Young People Achieving: Reforming targeted
support

4. Youth Matters - Next Steps, March 2006.
The ‘vision’ for how the four challenges would be met through a range of
innovative projects, initiatives and reforms including;
• Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) and Youth Capital Fund (YCF)
• Volunteering: A new charity “V”
• Targeted Youth Support: (Targeted Youth Support – A Guide,
published March 2007)
• Connexions Transition
• Reforming financial support for 16-19-year olds
• Things to do and places to go: a new legislative duty placed upon
local authorities to secure young people’s access to sufficient
positive activities and to provide information on the ‘local offer’ to
young people
• Positive Activities for Young People: providing diversionary and
developmental activities for young people at risk of social exclusion
during the school holidays.

5. Key Extracts from Aiming High for Young
People or what the government believes
When young people have the opportunity to influence
services they are more likely to find them attractive and
to access and benefit from them.
More marginalised young people can find formal
processes unappealing and will need additional support to
influence provision.
Communities can also play a powerful role in improving
and raising the priority of youth support services in their
area

6. “Support young people to take their place as valued
members of society”
Establish a number of pilots to explore how young
people can design and organise of events to
celebrate their transition to adulthood
Explore the potential of a ‘Youth Week’, in
celebration of young people’s achievements.

7. “Increase participation by putting more resources and
responsibility in young people’s hands”
Extend the Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds until at least 2011,
with additional resources for projects in the most disadvantaged
communities
Encourage Local Authorities to build on the success of the Youth
Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds by giving young people greater
influence over resources – 25% of spending on youth activities and
facilities by 2018
Invest in supporting young people to set up sustainable projects delivering
positive activities to other disadvantaged young people
Invest in a National Institute of Youth Leadership to support young people’s
ability to bring about change more widely.

8. “Empower more marginalised young people to have
influence”
Expect all Local Authorities to adopt good practice
in engaging young people
Invest over the next three years to see more
young people from deprived neighbourhoods
trained and supported to champion the views and
needs of young people.

9. “Empower communities to improve services for young
people”
Expect ward councillors to be responsive to young
people’s needs
Expect Local Authorities to ensure that young people,
parents and communities know how to mobilise and use
the Community Call for Action to improve youth services
Encourage Local Authorities to bring young people and
adults together to address common issues

10. The challenges are…
• Young people to design and organise events to celebrate their
transition to adulthood
• Giving young people greater influence over resources – 25% of
spending on youth activities and facilities by 2018
• Supporting young people to set up sustainable projects delivering
positive activities to other disadvantaged young people
• Local Authorities to adopt good practice in engaging young people
• Young people from deprived neighbourhoods trained and
supported to champion the views and needs of young people.
• Ward councillors to be responsive to young people’s needs
• Use Community Call for Action to improve youth services
• Bring young people and adults together to address common issues

11. The empowerment opportunities are…
• Young people to design and organise events to celebrate their
transition to adulthood
• Giving young people greater influence over resources – 25% of
spending on youth activities and facilities by 2018
• Supporting young people to set up sustainable projects delivering
positive activities to other disadvantaged young people
• Local Authorities to adopt good practice in engaging young people
• Young people from deprived neighbourhoods trained and
supported to champion the views and needs of young people.
• Ward councillors to be responsive to young people’s needs
• Use Community Call for Action to improve youth services
• Bring young people and adults together to address common issues

12. Nottingham
National Award Winning Youth Bank
• £413,051.30 of YOF & YCF distributed
• 14 yp (7 white,10 female)
• 42 Recorded Outcomes & 28 Accredited Outcomes in first 5
Months
Youth Council
• 56 elected Youth Councillors (BME, LGBT, Looked After)
• Over 11,000 yp voted
Participation Strategy
Empowering Young People Pilot
V submission at Stage Two (building on MV)
Neighbourhood Voice Events

13. Community Call For Action
The Police and Justice Act (2006) establishes a 'Community call for action‘
Mechanism in relation to community safety. Several other central government
departments are also exploring proposals.
A councillor may become aware of an issue causing concern to the
community. In this situation the councillor should be able to trigger a response
from service providers. Service providers must consider the matter raised.
They must state what action they will take or explain their decision not to act.