OLDHAM’S FIRST OVER TO YOUTH SUMMIT

March 4, 2020 Chris 1899 Views 0 Comments

OLDHAM’S FIRST OVER TO YOUTH SUMMIT LET’S THOUSANDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE THEIR SAY

Thousands of young people from across Oldham united at the borough’s first Over To Youth Summit last month.

Four events took place over a week of youth voice action. The events highlighted the national and global issues that are important to them.

The week was rounded off with 350 attendees from youth-related organisations at Oldham’s inaugural Youth Mayor’s Ball. The Oldham Youth Voice Family* have raised more than £1,200 for homelessness charity Real Change Oldham.

oldham-youth-voice-family — Oldham Youth Mayor’s Ball 2020.

Last year saw 11,500 local young people vote on the issues they care about, via the largest youth UK consultation, the Make Your Mark ballot.

Mental health, putting an end to knife crime and protecting the environment were among the top concerns. These align similarly to views of young people across the country. Each of these areas had their own dedicated event throughout the week across various locations in Oldham, with more than 400 young people attending.

say-no-to-knives-group — Say No To Knives Group

More than 3,000 local young people also took part in one of the largest consultations ever seen in the UK to help tackle mental health issues. The findings will be used to help Oldham Council provide a better mental health service for its young people, such as mental health nurses working in almost every school in the borough.

mental-health-knowsley-junior-school-oldham — Knowsley Junior School

Oldham’s Youth Mayor Ball, hosted by Youth Mayor, Samah Khalil, was a celebration of youth triumph. These included entertainment, fundraising and the inaugural Oldham Inspirational Young Person’s Awards.

oldham-youth-mayors-ball — Oldham Youth Mayor’s Ball 2020.

Winners of Oldham Inspirational Young Person’s Awards

The award winners included Alexander Dana, Tayler Keogh-Wroe and Ella Longshaw. With performances from Oldham Theatre Workshop, the Natraj Dance Academy and singers 3Bless and Seb Lowe.

samah-with-tayler-keogh-wroe — Winner Tayler Keogh-Wroe

samah-with-alexander-dama — Samah with Alexander Dana

samah-with-ellah-longshaw — Samah with Ella Longshaw

Youth Mayor Samah Khalil aged 19 said: “Oldham’s Over To Youth summit was an incredible week. Young people took centre stage to have meaningful discussions with decision-makers, reach out to more young people and celebrate wonderful and inspiring achievements.

“This is far from the end. This is just the beginning of our conversation with those who can make improvements locally and nationally. I hope we’ve inspired more young people to get involved. We can all make a positive difference together as we are the future of this borough.”

Over To Youth – supported by Oldham Council and the Oldham Opportunity Area.

Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services added: “I could not be prouder of the young people of Oldham and our Youth Mayor for arranging an amazing and inspiring week.

“We must listen and act upon the concerns of our young people because they have told us loud and clear what they want us to focus on. We are committed to ensuring the views of our young people are at the heart of everything we do. They are our greatest asset and Oldham must be a place where children and young people can thrive.”