Participation in Action: Young people use their voice to influence decisions in Leeds

Provider Voice and Influence Team, Leeds City Council

Name Child Friendly Leeds

Leeds City Council is working to support the vision of a "child friendly city" by ensuring that all children, young people and families can influence services and decisions.

The council's Voice and Influence Team, which is based in the children's services department, hosts a range of opportunities for children and young people aged 10 to 25 to influence the city.

In November, the children's commissioner for England held her annual takeover day, which sees organisations open their doors to children and young people so they can see what it is like being in a decision-making role. Leeds Council decided to go one step further by holding a takeover month, which saw around 60 children and young people sit on strategic boards within the council.

Also in November, the city appointed its 12th young mayor explains Hannah Lamplugh, voices, influence and change lead at Leeds children's services department.

"It started with a secondary school student participating in the Mayor for the Day initiative," she says. "We went for an award and they said it was good but that we were underselling it."

As a result, the council extended the mayoralty term to cover a year, and switched the emphasis to primary school pupils.

Lamplugh explains that primary schools are tasked with carrying out an activity with pupils about what they would do if they were the mayor. Then they have to complete a manifesto. The top five issues are chosen as categories, and at the Voice and Influence Team's annual summit each primary nominates a pupil based on their manifesto.

The school then enters that child and the entrants are whittled down before a youth vote is taken to pick the mayor.

In November 2016, Grace Brandford was elected as young mayor for 2017 for her manifesto titled Be a Good Citizen after around 4,500 children and young people cast their votes.

"The children's mayor gets to switch on the Christmas lights and then the whole year of engagement begins," says Lamplugh. "In January, they present their manifesto to 99 city councillors."

The Voice and Influence Team are also in charge of a Leeds Youth Council, which is currently made up of around 300 children and young people.

Lamplugh explains that there are three youth summits every year - one each for youth groups, secondary schools and primary schools - where young people are recruited onto the youth council.

During the youth summit they do work on the top priority that has emerged from the UK Youth Parliament's Make your Mark vote.

"The local issue that has come top in the last two years is tackling racism and discrimination," she says.

Children and young people on the youth council can also gain access to training opportunities.

Other youth-led initiatives that are run by the council include the Leeds Youth Parliament, which sees a young person represent Leeds in all UK Youth Parliament events, a Children in Care Council, which is made up of 12- to 18-year-olds and influences care policy, and a Care Leavers Council, who are aged 16 to 25 and aim to improve services.

"Benefits to young people are new skills in communication, problem solving and working in a group, as well as making new friendships," says Lamplugh.

More from: http://www.breezeleeds.org/HaveYourSay/Pages/Voice-and-Influence-Team.aspx