Participation in Action: Participation opportunities in Wales on one website

Across Wales, organisations are attempting to empower young people to get involved in decisions, influence policymakers and make choices on matters important to their lives.

But despite best efforts, the range of initiatives can prove confusing and leave children and young people unaware of where to go for help.

With this in mind, a coalition of organisations decided to develop a website that is accessible to young people and allows them to find a relevant service. The project is funded by the Welsh government and led by the Participation Workers’ Network in Wales, hosted by Children in Wales.

Ed Janes, development officer with the network, says: “There is so much work that has been achieved by different groups in Wales, but something was needed to group it together and signpost young people to what they need.”

Given the Welsh government’s duty requiring ministers to pay regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when they change or create policy, there is an urgency to increase young people’s participation.

“The rights measure puts a focus on all of children’s rights in Wales, but participation is a means for the other rights to be met,” Janes adds.

Social enterprise Youth Friendly designed the website. It employs youth workers, writers and designers, and involves young people in the creation of a range of media including youth-friendly documents to accompany strategies, consultations and legislation.

Nidge Dyer, director of Youth Friendly, says: “We will sit down with a group of young people who help us with the design and the words. We often pay young people to be involved in that process and it does allow them to have fun and helps with their confidence.

“The young people’s contribution is priceless. It adds a creativity and energy to what we do. The more you involve young people within supported boundaries, the more life you add.”

Building the hub
Aspiring web designer, 18-year-old Meg Dyer, was central to designing and building the hub. “It is a good thing there is now somewhere with all the information everybody can go to find out what they need or where they need to go to,” she says. “It’s like a contents page in an encyclopaedia.”

Meg helped to build the pages and also supported the team at Youth Friendly in deciding on the layout and design.

“It can be challenging sometimes and also quite monotonous. But when you have the finished product and the website looks great and the customer is happy, you feel great,” she says.

Meg is keen that other organisations working with young people should put young people at the heart of their work. “If something is aimed at young people, they should have a say in the way it is designed,” she says. “After all, they’re going to know best what’s going to attract them to the resource or service. Also, they can come up with some brilliant ideas.”