Archived decisions

Contact: Colin Poynter, Youth Service Manager, Tel: 01962 846246,

email: [email protected]

1. Report Summary

1.1 The aim of this report is to provide information about the contribution of the Youth Service to the Education Departments citizenship work with young people.

1.2 The activities detailed within this report support aim 1 (Maximising life opportunities), Aim 4 (Building strong and safe communities) and Aim 5 (Improving services).

2. Context

2.1 Hampshire County Council Education Department identifies the purpose of citizenship education to be to:

2.1.1 establish the importance of pupils having a positive and active role in the diverse life of a community

2.1.2 provide the opportunity for pupils to be able to express and develop their beliefs opinions, values and attitudes whilst respecting the views of others

2.1.3 encourage the development of skills in working with others to inform their thinking about social and moral issues

2.1.4 help pupils understand that having rights, requires individuals to accept a sense of personal and social responsibility

2.1.5 provide opportunities for pupils to understand how they can reflect on and influence, those social issues, which they encounter within the community and the wider responsibilities they have in society.

3. Delivery of citizenship education

3.1 It is identified that citizenship education is not something schools can deliver effectively in isolation. Parents, other adults, and agencies working with young people also have a responsibility. In this context, District, Borough and Parish Councils are important partners.

3.2 An example of good practice, is East Hampshire District Council's Citizenship Scheme. This is a project run by the district council in partnership with local schools and colleges helping young people to understand, and participate in, planning and decision-making to improve their local communities. The course is run on a six week basis and is and delivered by officers and members of the Council. Information provided by young people on their needs and aspirations are fed back from this scheme to a variety of groups and committees, including the local youth strategy group, an interagency group chaired by the Senior Youth worker.

3.3 Hampshire County Youth Service identifies one of the purposes of youth work as promoting the influence of young people, their involvement in decision making and active citizenship. It seeks to deliver citizenship education through various styles of work and in a number of different settings.

3.4 All Youth Service districts have as a target the establishing of links between citizenship programmes in schools, Connexions work and Youth Service initiatives. Youth workers are working with teachers, Connexions personal advisers and other partners to contribute to citizenship programmes in schools.

3.5 A recent report produced for the Department for Education and Skills identified that citizenship projects with young people helped develop their technical, social, and life-skills and improved their knowledge of political, social and democratic issues. However, the report went on to identify there is a cause for concern that post 16 provision of citizenship education is not universally available to young people.

3.6 Through its work with young people over 16 and with those, who for whatever reason, are not in school, the Youth Service makes a significant contribution to citizenship education. Much of this work is an integral part of youth work deliver through challenging and encouraging young people to consider their role in local communities, their relationships with peers and adults and the mechanisms they can use to influence decision makers. Other aspects of the Youth Service's citizenship work are more specialised and include work with youth forums, youth councils and the United Kingdom Youth Parliament.

4. Current Practice

4.1 The work of the Youth Service in contributing to citizenship education is varied and recent examples include:

· The Development Youth Worker (Participation) has supported young people to participate in decision making panels for Teenage Pregnancy Partnership, SRB bid writing and attend Citizenship panels

· Elections for six Members of the United Kingdom Youth Parliament (MYPs) took place across the county in November, with over 3,000 young people from Hampshire's schools and youth centres voting

· Rushmoor district has established a pilot Education Support Project at Oak Farm

· Within Hart, drug and alcohol workshops have been delivered in schools as part of their citizenship programmes

· In Eastleigh young people have been involved in driving and influencing decisions within their communities seeing new provision for young people such as youth shelters and skate parks erected as a result

· The MYP from Eastleigh recently chaired a district wide youth conference bringing together young people and adults from local schools, colleges and youth service providers

· A joint working initiative has been established with Brune Park School working on the Trailblazers project, using outdoor education to encourage young people to become thoughtful, socially aware and fully committed citizens

· Young people from all districts have been encouraged and supported to influence the development of the Connexions service district and County wide

· During the year local MYPs met with MPs including government ministers and have met with elected members of the County, district and Borough councils

· Gosport youth council has visited Brussels to learn about how the European parliament works and how it affects them.

5. Key Issues for Future Development

5.1 The promotion of citizenship with young people requires commitment to dialogue and change by all those involved. It also requires that significance is placed upon those issues that young people identified as affecting them and not only on the agenda of adults and organisations. The Youth Service, through its work with youth councils, MYPs, and other groups, is an important partner with schools and district and parish councils in developing and supporting this work.

5.2 Young people are not an homogenous group and there is a key role for the Youth service in ensuring that young people with differing views, and those who struggle to access mainstream education are engaged in a way that promotes active participation and active citizenship.

6. Recommendation

6.1 That the current contribution of the Youth Service to citizenship education welcomed and this report noted.

6.2 That the Youth Service continues to work in partnership with schools and district councils to support citizenship education.

6.3 That the Youth Service continues to develop creative ways of delivering citizenship education to those young people who are 16+ or who are not engaged in full-time education.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

N.B. The list excludes:

Published works

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

National evaluation of post 16 citizenship development project: 2^nd annual report. National foundation for education research for Department for Education and Skills.