To receive a verbal report on the latest activities of the Young Mayor and Young Cabinet.
Minutes:
The Young Mayor reported on the following activities in which she and Young Cabinet Members and/or Youth Councillors had been involved:
· The BAME Committee had launched DigitalMe which discussed the experience of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK. Mayor Redfearn and Councillor Earley who were on the launch panel were thanked on behalf of the committee for their participation and support. The film would be used by North Tyneside Council as part of the staff and members equality training, and it was hoped the film would also be used in schools as part of the PHSE lessons. The Walking With Refugee project would be using it as part of their education package that they currently run in schools.
· During half term Youth Councillors from the BAME committee had visited New to UK project in North Shields to deliver donations of food, children’s clothing and household items that had been collected by Youth Councillors.
· Some Youth Councillors had helped pack more packets of sanitary products which were being gifted to young women around the borough. They came complete with the message: ‘We believe that sanitary products should be freely available in toilets the same way that toilet tissue was freely available’. Positive feedback from the project had been received and work was being done with the Social Inclusion Team on the next steps towards helping with period poverty in the borough.
· The Environment Committee’s planned Youth Climate Summit due to be held on 4 November had been postponed. The original plans had included activities that would be very hands on and fun and although the committee had considered holding a shorter event online, it was felt that this would not be as engaging for the young people.
· The Young Mayor had taken part in the launch of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The aim of the new Strategy was to transform mental health support for young people in the borough, including new specialist teams for schools that would benefit thousands of pupils, and to ensure the right people were getting the right support at the right time.
· Member of Youth Parliament, Abi, and the Young Mayor had been part of the judging panel for the Spirit of North Tyneside Awards, recognised by North Tyneside Council for their important contribution.
· The Young Mayor and several Youth Councillors had attended Remembrance Day services around the borough in representing all young people by laying the wreaths at the memorials.
· Youth Councillors had attended a poverty proofing training workshop with the charity Children Northeast, which would be useful for their plans in the youth council committees.
· Ofsted had carried out an inspection of the Special Education Needs and Disabilities Services more commonly known as SEND, and to ensure the Inspectors were impressed by everything the SEND Youth Forum had been doing, a short film had been produced.
The Young Mayor also reported that she and Member of UK Youth Parliament, Abi, were due to end their roles at the beginning of March 2022. Having enjoyed their time in their respective role’s they looked forward to completing their current projects and handing over the baton next year. The nominations to find their replacements opened on the 17 November 2021.
The Elected Mayor thanked the Young Mayor for the update and congratulated her, Member of UK Youth Parliament, Abi, and all the young people for their tremendous work over the last year.