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 he and Young Cabinet Members and/or Youth Councillors had been involved:
· The Young Mayor attended the Holocaust Memorial Event, he found the event very moving and contributions of so many young people was outstanding
· A Memorial Tree has been planted to commemorate the life of youth councillor Daniel Taylor, the rowan tree, planted at the front of Quadrant East, close to a newly installed colleague memorial area which will recognise council colleagues who have passed away. The Young Mayor thanked all of the staff teams who have been involved
· The Young Mayor advised that he had continued to be impressed by the amount of work being carried out by the council in relation to the goal of North Tyneside Council becoming Carbon Net Zero by 2030. Attendance at the board meetings has shown the level of contributions made by all council departments
· The Young Mayor advised that this was his last meeting in his current role as Young Mayor, he also advised that he had been asked by his MYP Sharon to thank all for the support and kindness shown to her this year. She is very proud to have served this council and its young people both locally and nationally in the Commons and at various conferences around the country. She is exceptionally proud of her financial education lesson plans and through the ready for life game, teaching young people about how to live as a financially independent person
· To end the update, the Young Mayor thanked the Cabinet, the Youth Councillors, the officers sat in the gallery and everyone at NTC and partner organisations for the support all of given him, he thanked everyone for supporting his pledges, words cannot describe how grateful I am for all of your help, support and kind words over the course of this year. It is always difficult to let go, especially when you are doing a job that you love, but I know that I can leave with my head held high because together we have delivered on:
o Hundreds of free, nutritious and low-cost meals for young people and their families as well as free cookery sessions in some of our schools and community centres to support people during the cost-of-living crisis and provide young people with skills for life
o Creating the North East Youth Transport Forum to give young people a real say in transport matters across the LA7, not just in North Tyneside
o Providing a support grant and resources to create small gardens & allotments in some schools across our borough
o £3000 for better primary school playgrounds through the Children’s Council Playground Project
o Over £4000 for activities in communities and funding new equipment for some high school students
o Supported the design and promotion of over 20 vape disposal bins and are currently researching how we can support young people to quit vaping
o Creating the Budget Bites: Canny Meals for Under a Fiver with environment tips, cookery book
o helped plant over 1000 trees as part of the North East Community Forest
o Responding to public concerns around Right Care, Right Person police responses, bullying and other important issues.
Bottom line is - it’s been an incredibly busy year! Just finally and once again: thank you, everyone for your support. So, farewell and take care,
The Mayor and Cabinet expressed thanks to the Young Mayor for the work he has done over the past year, they all agreed it has been a very busy year and advised that he should be very proud of what he has achieved and they were very proud of him and the fact he stands up for what he believes in. It was also noted that the role of the Young Mayor had been a fantastic thing to create, in particular that he doesn’t get bogged down with all the political stuff. It was also noted that our Young Mayors visit all around the region and do a fantastic job representing us.