OVER 70 young people from across Warwickshire came together for the first Child Friendly Warwickshire Youth Conference: Future Ready, to discuss topics important to them.
The event was organised with the help of young people who chose the five themes for the day – climate change, mental health, careers, respectful relationships and youth homelessness.
The young people were joined by local organisations including Kooth, St Basils, Prospects and Warwickshire Climate Alliance.
Also in attendance was Warwickshire County Council (WCC) leader Coun Izzi Seccombe, who spoke in favour of including the voice of the children in future Warwickshire County Council policies.
Young people in attendance described the event as ‘inspirational’, ‘exciting’ and ‘interesting’, with many keen to make a difference in their communities and already looking forward to the next meeting.
A key part of the day was the quiet space, supported by the county council’s Voice, Influence & Change team, for any person who needed time away from the activities and crowds.
Coun Seccombe said: “The youth conference was an opportunity for young people to come together to talk about issues that matter to them and to amplify their voices across the county. This is one of our aims for our Child Friendly Warwickshire programme.
“It was a joy to attend the youth conference, and to hear the inspirational ideas from young people all over the county. I look forward to attending future conferences with young people, and to include their ideas and thoughts in future policies from the county council.”
The conference is part of WCC’s Child Friendly Warwickshire programme to ensure children and young people in the county are safe, skilled, healthy, heard and happy.
Visit www.childfriendlywarwickshire.co.uk for updates on Child Friendly Warwickshire and any future events.
