talkaboutyou.org

Connexions Youth Council

Connexions youth council is a group of about 25 young people who meet monthly to ‘sort out’ Connexions and keep an eye on their actions.

Our views and opinions as young people are the most ‘streetwise’ views available.

We regularly review some of their publications such as the old PIGS, and have been working on the youth involvement strategy. Our work is important as the work of Connexions is ultimately going out to young people.

The aims are to make the lives of young people better, and we do this mainly by getting involved with their adult team and reviewing what they do. As the voice of young people, we also help with interviews (people in a young people-focused service need to be able to relate to young people), putting forward the views of young people.

The opportunity to have our voices be heard is valuable and gives a comfortable atmosphere within the group.

We get a big feeling of achievement on the youth council and feel we can make a difference. We get to meet new people and enjoy the team-building activities such as the residential at Grafam Water Centre. Improving the lives of young people is quite important to us on the council, as the work of Connexions does influence all of us in some way, and we like to make a difference. The opportunities we get are also good, as the youth council ties in to lots of other projects, and there are also the team building activities, which are great fun!