Author: Tracy Bailey

YOUTH COMBINED AUTHORITY MEETING MINUTES

Thursday 12th July 2018

YOUTH COMBINED AUTHORITY MINUTES: 12th July 2018

Shaping Tootoot App
Tootoot is an app that allows young people to report worries and concerns anonymously to their school. Tootoot Founder, Michael, and his colleague Lucy, worked with members to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by young people, to help develop the app.
Challenges members set out include: CSE, drug and under-age alcohol use, inclusive sex and relationship education (LGBTQ+), hate crime and exam pressure. Members then provide their views on how Tootoot could help address these challenges.

Jess and Nathan from Oldham Youth Council lead a ‘speed-dating’ style icebreaker to kick off the meeting and to help members get to know each other better.

"A lot of young people don't realise that speaking up can help and that services like tootoot are here for them."

Members revisited and agreed ‘Ground Rules’ for meetings, which will be displayed at future sessions. They include: respecting boundaries, being kind, don’t speak over others, treat everyone equally, no swearing, and no jargon!

Attended by:
42nd Street
GMFRS
Gorse Hill Studios
One Manchester
The Proud Trust
Reclaim
Xplode Magazine
Bolton Youth Council
Bury Youth Council
Manchester Youth Council
Oldham Youth Council
Rochdale Youth Council
Salford Youth Council
Tameside Youth Council
Trafford Youth Council

British Youth Council’s Youth Select Committee on Work Experience
Bethanie Mortensen (Bury Youth Council) gave an overview of her visit to London where she represented the views of the YCA, and Curriculum 4 Life Working Group, which were gathered during the June meetings. This included:
Annual ‘careers fairs’.
Dedicated careers planning and personal professional development.
A universal work experience programme for secondary school pupils, linked to a work placement programme for those in further education.
Establish a ‘UCAS-style’ website providing information on different types of work experience and careers advice.
The report produced by the Youth Select Committee will be coming out soon and then Government will have 60 days to respond.

YOUTH COMBINED AUTHORITY MINUTES: 12th July 2018

Jess Consterdine (Oldham Youth Council) and Liam Scholes (GMFRS) fed back from the Health Summit which took place on 9th July.
The key points discussed were:
How do we improve communication with young people, parents, and between services?
How do we improve access to information “we don’t know our NHS rights”, how can young people be more informed?
How can getting an appointment be made easier?
School Nurses – How do we find out who they are and what they do?
Peer to Peer support – How do we improve emotional literacy?
How can we ensure that there is no postcode lottery in the availability of services?

Maham Malik (Trafford Youth Cabinet) fed back from the Health Working Group, and reiterated the 4 priorities members identified in the first meeting. These were presented to Alan Ford, Head of Clinical Commissioning for Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership. With Alan, members co-produced a set of proposals on ways young people could be involved including:
in developing an ongoing and dynamic relationship between the GM Mental Health Delivery Board and the GM Children Young People Mental Health Board, by:
nominating representatives from the GMYCA to sit on relevant boards
Having representatives from the Boards attend YCA Health Working Group meetings
Health Working Group members feeding into the GMYCA to move the meeting times to a time that young people in education can attend. i.e. 4.30-6.30pm
To agree to support the young people’s priorities as far as possible
To help young people’s understanding and increase their knowledge through presentations and opportunities for discussion between young people and decision makers.

Chuka Umunna MP and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Integration visited on 21st June to meet representatives of the YCA and Older People’s Network. Jessica Consterdine (Oldham Youth Council) and Sumayah Saidi (Manchester Youth Council) fed back their experience from the meeting., which covered ways to combat social integration and isolation. They looked at it from different viewpoints including age and race, and agreed that both younger and older people share many of the same problems, such as mental health, transport, housing, and loneliness.
The two groups explored how they might come together and support each other—including older people going into schools to help pupils who are experiencing stress and anxiety, or ‘feeling a bit blue”.
Chuka thanked groups for their input and asked that they stay involved.
Andy Burnham and Rishi Shori are keen for an intergeneration event to be explored. Members think this would be a good idea for a small group to explore with the Older People’s Network later in the year.
Oldham Youth Council is looking at piloting getting groups of younger and older people together through Dementia Friends and other contacts. The hope is that by hosting intergenerational coffee mornings or lunches in school older and younger people can chat and talk through some of their stress and anxiety. After getting advice, the Youth Council will test the idea with some sessions at youth council meetings with the idea of expanding into schools next year, with the option to roll out wider.

Jacob Hirst and Rowan (Tameside Youth Council) fed back from the Curriculum for Life Working Group, during which they agreed a definition for the C4L:
“A Curriculum for Life is the over-arching term for a series of learning experiences (delivered inside and outside the classroom, and includes learning with communities, families and peers) that develop young people’s knowledge and life skills, adequately ensuring they are ready for adult life.”
Members responded to questions for the Youth Select Committee on Work Experience (see overleaf), and also started to develop a set of standards or a ‘wish list’ for work experience.
Tommy (Salford Youth Council) asked whether the Working Group had considered access to work experience for those who are home schooled or not in mainstream education. Rowan and Jacob agreed to explore this at future Working Group meetings.

Andy said, “You are the first generation to see difference differently”.

Future meeting dates:
Thursday 13th September
Thursday 11th October
Thursday 15th November
Thursday 13th December