The youth participation team act as facilitators for the young people of the London Borough of Sutton to enable them to participate in a wide variety of volunteering opportunities. This enables young people to gain experience, develop new skills and build confidence and self awareness. This in turn encourages them to reach their full potential.

Sutton Youth Parliament

Sutton Youth Parliament serves as a platform for young people aged 11 to 19 years to engage in constructive dialogue with adults involved in decision-making structures and processes, and to encourage young people to take an interest and an active role in their communities through participation and involvement. Sutton has held United Kingdom Youth Parliament elections since 2000 and has therefore had a Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) and Deputy MYP representing the borough for the past seven years. Last year 8,500 young people in Sutton voted for their MYP.

Our local MYP and Deputy are accountable to a group of young people from different schools across the borough, which meet regularly to discuss issues that have arisen either locally or nationally. They arrange attendance at, and update each other on, various events, consultations and initiatives that are taking place or have taken place.

Respect

Since 2005 we have worked with Sutton Safer Partnership to help reduce the fear of crime.

Statistics have demonstrated that older people have a fear of crime within their community, with their perception being that a high proportion of crime is committed by young people.

We have been involved in inter-generational work with a group of young people from two local high schools and older people within the community. The Volunteer Centre facilitates two projects per year and these have included:

• Building a relationship between the young people and residents living in sheltered housing by meeting for lunch and discussing the residents gardening needs which were then met by the young people.

• A group of young people at risk of being excluded from school were given training to recognise how misunderstandings between generations can occur, and to interview people using Dictaphones. Members of an over 50’s club agreed to reminisce about their past and were interviewed by the young people. Those interviewed were impressed by the boys and the young people who took part in the project were asked how they would change their behaviour as a result of taking part. They said:

“I’d put my hood down if I was walking past an old person”

“I might say hello or smile at them in the street” “I’d make way for them”

“I’d cross the street so I don’t scare them” “I might get my mates to move”

The youth participation team act as facilitators for the young people of the London Borough of Sutton to enable them to participate in a wide variety of volunteering