Welcome to the team!

Hello, we are Ben and Ushenka, we are the two new members of the Youth Cabinet who have been successfully elected by members of the Vale Youth Forum at tonight's meeting.  We are both 15 years old and from Cowbridge Comprehensive School.  We have both been on the Vale Youth Forum for over a year and are really passionate about ensuring the views of young people are heard by decision-makers.  We're both looking forward to our first meeting and getting involved straight away!  

A visit to the Mayor's Parlour

Recently we were invited to meet the Vale Mayor, Cllr Janice Charles and Deputy Mayor, Cllr Leighton Rowlands, at the Mayor's Parlour in Kings Square, Barry.   We talked about what it is like being Deputy Youth Mayor and the work of the Youth Cabinet over the last year.  The Mayor and Deputy Mayor also suggested ways the Youth Mayor and Youth Cabinet should publicise the work they do and how we can promote ourselves more to young people.  They were both very interested in the work we do and keen to continue to support us in the work we do.  We also found out what it involves being the Vale Mayor and Deputy and how they get involved in the local community and support local residents. It was a very interesting meeting and we are glad we had the chance to meet the Mayor and Deputy who is also the Youth Champion and we think it's great that they are both taking a keen interest in young people in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Fecamp 2017

For the past week as Deputy Youth Mayor I have been on a youth exchange with youth councillors from the Vale Youth Forum, Llantwit Youth Council, Barry Youth Action and Penarth Youth Action. The exchange had been organised to bring together young people from the different countries twinned with the Vale of Glamorgan - Fecamp in France, Mouscron in Belgium, Rheinfelden in Germany and Putnok in Hungary also took part even though they are not twinned with the Vale.

The twinning exchange took place in Fecamp and I knew from the start that it was going to be an unforgettable experience.  Throughout the week we took part in a variety of activities to learn more about French culture and the seaside town, Fecamp.  We met the Mayor and members of the twinning committee too.  We went on a sailing ship, walked along the beautiful cliffs, visited a smoked fish factory, went rowing and learnt about the wildlife along the coast.  We all had so much fun!

Throughout the week we also worked on designing and creating a sculpture for the Fecamp twinning garden which was officially opened on the last day and followed by a farewell party.  Thank you to Michelle who organised the week and invited young people from the Vale, it was amazing.  We all laughed so much and it was great to meet so many different people and make new friends from across Europe!

 

Emoji's Presentation

Tonight I attended the Emoji's Presentation evening at the Barry YMCA.  It's a fantastic project for young people to get involved in.  They all received their Awards tonight for completing the 10 week project course and all of the young people, staff and family members were very proud of everyone. We watched a video that the young people made about the project which was brilliant.  An amazing project and a worthy cause!!

Youth Satisfaction Report

The Youth Satisfaction Report which has been written by the Youth Cabinet has been officially published.  The report outlines the results of the Youth Satisfaction Survey that we designed so that young people who attend different youth clubs and provisions could give feedback on their experiences.

Following the results, the Youth Service can analyse what young people think and how they are meeting the requirements set out in the Youth Offer.  The results highlight very positive aspects about the Youth Service but also areas of improvement to ensure youth clubs and provisions cater to the needs of young people.  By carrying out this piece of work the Youth Cabinet have also achieved a Level 2 qualification in Young People's Participation.

Last one before Summer!

Tonight we had a Youth Cabinet meeting, our last one before the summer break.  We gave our feedback on a variety of different events and meetings we did attend including the Vale of Glamorgan AGM, Armed Forces Day and the Barry Scout & Guide Fete.

Following the elections that took place in May we learnt more about the new Cabinet at the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the portfolios of the new Members.  We are looking forward to meeting the new Cabinet and working with them next term.  We also reviewed our action plan and seen the final version of our Youth Satisfaction Survey which we have sent to the Vale Youth Service.

Scouts Fete

It's been a pleasure to be invited to the Barry Scouts Fete today. The weather is absolutely stunning and the parade was even better! Also not forgetting all the wonderful stalls and activities on offer for everyone. Hope you will all have a great day!