The Youth Combined Authority is a group of young people who have the role of advising on and scrutinising the work of the mayor and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on key issues and concerns of young people in the community. An External case study of the GMYCA can be viewed here.
The YCA is part of the Equalities, Inclusion and Cohesion portfolio of the GMCA. It was set up and funded by the GMCA as part of its efforts to tackle discrimination and disadvantage in the area and to promote inclusion. Youth Focus North West is commissioned to support the project.
The YCA aims to advise, support, and challenge GMCA political leaders and policy makers, to ensure that key issues and concerns of young people are taken into account in policy making.
Young people who are members of the YCA represent Youth Councils and youth organisations from across the city. The 56 members are nominated by 10 Greater Manchester Youth Councils and 16 youth organisations. Each body nominates two representatives, who sit on the YCA for a period of two years. YCA Members come from a range of genders, ethnicities, as well as disabled young people. They range from 11-18 years (or up to 25 for those with additional needs). The YCA also has ad-hoc working groups to focus on specific topics. Opportunities to participate in these are posted on the YCA website and any young people can apply to take part.
One strength of the YCA is the integrated support for young people, through the practice of youth work. The staff involved can effectively support the young people to undertake the roles, improving the quality of their engagement with policy makers. However, the project itself is not limited to focusing on youth work policy or youth services. Instead, it can work across all of the policy areas covered by the GMCA.
The success of the YCA can be seen by the active participation of young people from a diverse array of backgrounds, and from the high interest from policy makers to integrate YCA into their policy making.
Further details: GMCA – Youth Combined Authority website
Contact: Stuart Dunne, Chief Executive Officer, Youth Focus North West, S.Dunne@youthfocusnw.org.uk.
--------------------------------------------
Bee Heard YP Mental Health Forum Greater Manchester
Established in 2020, Bee Heard works in partnership with the Community and Crisis Mental Health Boards. The aim is to give young people aged 16-24, from across Greater Manchester an opportunity to shape and advise on a wide range of mental health services.
Young people from Bee Heard meet monthly to discuss topics such as commissioning, Mental Health in Schools, CAMHS, crisis pathways and other key issues relating to youth mental health. Practitioners from the relevant mental health services are invited to meetings by the young people and together examine how services can better support young people across Greater Manchester.
The project is underpinned by the Lundy Model of participation which is a framework that ensures young people have space, voice, audience and influence - to ensure that their voices are given due weight, and in turn, create change within the mental health services for other young people. The model is also used as a method of evaluation.
The impact (including cost savings/income generated if applicable):
Bee Heard undertook a developmental journey through their time on the project. Young people have said how they feel more open to discussing their own mental health both with their peers and also with youth workers or trusted adults in their lives. They have found a sense of community which has enabled them to feel more confident in building relationships.
“When I first heard about Bee Heard, I asked to sign up instantly. I was over the moon to have found something that could shape the mental health world while being accessible to everyone. At first, it was just about how to improve the mental health space; however, over time, I realised the meeting was also shaping our own mental health for the better! It helped me make new friends, open up more, and learn to communicate with others in a healthy way. There was no way to feel unwelcome at each meeting; there was always a seat available. Overall, Bee Heard helped me improve myself mentally, which has allowed me to tackle many projects since starting. A real positive experience.” Bee Heard Member
‘When I heard that I could be part of Bee Heard, I wanted to be involved. I was so excited to meet everyone and see what we can help and how we can improve mental health. Bee Heard has helped me grow and develop. I recently co-chaired a meeting and I would have never been able to do that if this group wasn’t so supportive. Each time I attend the group I feel more comfortable and welcomed, this helped me achieve targets I set myself for each session.’ Bee Heard Member
The group has had opportunities to meet with a variety of stakeholders from across the Greater Manchester mental health sector.
How is the new approach being sustained?:
Bee Heard has been recommissioned for a further 2 years to strengthen the relationships with the systemic leads and mental health boards in Greater Manchester has enabled young people’s input into senior levels of health structures, thus enabling young people to both challenge and advise on thematic areas.
Lessons learned:
The group has had the opportunity to work with a variety of different practitioners across the Greater Manchester mental health sector. Working on Tier 4 and Crisis, CAMHS and CEDs (Community Eating Disorders.)
Young people have explored topics such as All Age Mental Health, 999/111 Mental Health Triage Services and Mental Health in Schools.
Young people have explored topics such as All Age Mental Health, 999/111 Mental Health Triage Services and Mental Health in Schools.
Young people have advised how crisis teams can best respond to young people in an emergency and their suggestions for process improvement have been passed onto crisis team service managers in Greater Manchester. This will help to support service improvement in this part of the local mental health sector.
Young people have helped to influence the Crisis Care Pathway, including giving feedback on how the service can create better drop-ins for young people away from A&E.
There have been useful feedback loops created so that young people know and understand what is possible to change, what can and can’t be achieved and why.
Contact: Stuart Dunne
-----------------------------------------------------
Bee Counted- Health Inspectors
Bee Counted is an inspection process where young people inspect health services across Greater Manchester, with the aim of ensuring health services are responsive to the needs of young people by listening to their views and acting on them. This is based on the Greater Manchester Youth Agreement (2018), a set of expectations that young people have when utilising health services.
The reports that young people create through this process are shared with the services themselves, as well as being circulated through higher level structures such as senior health boards. This is to showcase the work of the inspectors and also ensure accountability for the recommendations offered by the group for the services involved.
Three of the inspectors were also invited to share their experiences at the Greater Manchester Children’s Board, where they spoke to local leaders and decision makers about their role as inspectors and what they have learned about in this process.
The influence of young people through this project is shown through the changes that services make as a result of the report and recommendations created by young people. One example of this is shown in the Royal Oldham Children’s Outpatient service; first inspected in March 2022 and reinspected in August 2023. From their first inspection, the service created their own action plan, detailing what they were doing to meet recommendations that the inspectors included in the March 2022 report. Staff were able to discuss this in their 2023 inspection, to show the impact of the inspection process and that their service had made progressive action to improve their service.
The influence of the inspections and the next steps taken by services as a result is also fed back to inspectors, helping to show them their influence. This feedback is also held for any future inspections with the service, and we ask about this in re-inspected services.
Young people feel empowered and motivated to make change to the world around them.
Intermediate Outcomes connected to the Youth Focus North West Theory of Change
Young people take on responsibility and show leadership
Young people enjoy their engagement with our programmes and develop
their personal and social skills / capabilities
Feedback from young people:
'Being part of the Bee counted inspections was an amazing experience as it was an experience that not many other services could provide, it helped young people being able to give Health services written reports after being inspected which really helped me feel that my input was important. I really enjoyed doing the inspections themselves whether they were online or in person as everyone was really friendly, the Bee counted Inspections helped me grow even more confidence as at the start I was quiet and not sharing my ideas as much but as we did more inspections I was sharing more of my ideas’- Noor, Young Inspector
‘‘My experience being a young inspector was enjoyable. I heard about it through my youth council and shortly after joined. We started off by having an initial zoom session that prepared us for the inspections and then after that we could sign up for whatever inspections we were interested in.
I found that the groups we inspected were interested in the feedback we gave them and wanted to improve their facilities for young people. Some places that I inspected had not even considered issues affecting young people, such as accessibility and privacy. Thus, it was a fantastic opportunity to help young people in Manchester by helping services become more young people-friendly.
As a young person myself, I could make recommendations based on my experience and suggested creating a youth participation board and developing a more prominent social media presence. Being a young inspector taught me to be more aware of the world around me and the work that goes into creating welcoming spaces for young people.’ Virginia, Young Inspector
One of the young inspectors wrote a blog about her experiences of being a young inspector, and the influence of this process on her future career path. You can read it here.
---------------------------------------
For Planet - Eco App
For Planet - Young people change the world one action at a time
For Planet is an ambitious youth movement led by Youth Focus North West in partnership with the Environment Agency, that tackles the climate emergency and alleviates climate anxiety amongst young people through a mobile app that inspires and challenges young people to have agency and empowers them to drive change.
For Planet was initiated by a young person with a passion to make meaningful and sustained change in the world. Emma Greenwood, then 19 years old, said it was critical to act now to empower, inspire and enable young people across the North West to connect and collaborate on activities which help to mitigate climate change and educate people about the climate emergency
‘After attending the Flood & Coast Conference in 2019, under an invitation from the Environment Agency, I met some incredible people who saw the power that young people have to be an enabler of climate action. With the activism knowledge of young people and the technical knowledge of the Environment Agency, it would be the perfect partnership to create an accessible climate action programme.
As young people keep getting told, we're the generation who can fix this crisis, but in order to do this in a long-term way we need to be educated, equipped and supported to learn how. You have the power to support in creating a generation of people who can be a part of the solution.
In one sentence I wanted to create a platform to enable sustainable and informed climate action in an accessible and fun way for all young people.’
The For Planet app supports learning in climate education by taking actions that reduce carbon, energy, and water usage, fostering behaviour change by transforming digital learning into real-world environmental benefits and social collective action. Through local community projects initiated by young people, there is a positive impact on nature, increasing biodiversity and the long-term sustainability and health of the local area. The project has led to many positive outcomes. Youth Voice is at the heart of For Planet, and the Youth Steering group plays a pivotal role in guiding the development of the project,
Arianna 15
I’ve had the privilege of watching this project grow from an ambitious idea into a dynamic tool that helps and educates us to take steps toward a greener and greater future.
My involvement in the For Planet project stems from a deep-rooted passion and concern for environmental stewardship and a firm belief in the power of technology to drive positive change.
What excites me most about the For Planet project is meeting like minded climate concerned and conscious individuals and its potential to democratise climate action.
Krish, 18.
“I have always been an environmentalist, but also the type of person who won’t simply sit back and watch. I want to take action myself.
I am particularly ambitious for our app to be the source of climate literacy for thousands of children and young people across the UK. For Planet will contribute to building a brighter, greener future for our young generation.”
Elizabeth 18
“I am involved in For Planet due to the amazing impact I know the app is going to have on youth activism surrounding the environment and climate change. As part of the project I was awarded a grant and with it I created a green space at my college which studies show have positive impacts on people’s mental health. I also led my own team in the pilot and had a fantastic, enriching experience on the residential. I think For Planet will help young people on their activism journeys and make their lifestyle more sustainable and greener.”
One in three young people in Britain are scared, sad or pessimistic about climate change (YouGov poll 2023).
Do you want to help alleviate eco anxiety amongst young people and support them to have agency to reduce their carbon footprint?
We are excited to announce that we are open to new collaborations, partners, investors and friends to join us on the next phase of this ambitious and exciting journey!
To learn to see how you can make a difference to young people and the planet email lilasuri@youthfocusnw.org.uk
Commentaires