Author: Kayleigh Fisher

It was a thrill to visit the House of Commons yesterday (2nd July) in order to attend a reception event for the CWVYS ‘Stories from Youth Work in Wales’ report.

The reception was kindly hosted by Wayne David MP, who, as our President, continues to be wonderfully supportive of all things CWVYS. Thank you, Wayne!

Kath Allen and Paul Glaze were ably joined by fellow intrepid travellers Mike Cook (Youth Worker), Morgana and Gethin (Young People) from Senghenydd Youth Drop-in Centre (SYDIC) plus Andy Borsden and Keith Towler.

It was a fantastic opportunity to share the ‘Stories’ report and films with the 10 MPs who attended the event but also to discuss the benefits of youth work in Wales, how the voluntary sector operates and the current context and issues (including the new Youth Work Strategy).

We were struck by not only the willingness of MPs to engage in those discussions but also to relate to their own experiences, including how youth work had played a fundamental and hugely positive role in their respective lives whilst growing up in Wales.

Oh, and Wayne also took us on a fascinating tour of the Palace of Westminster; where we marvelled at the surroundings, drank pop and tea, ate chocolate and were told off for taking photos in the wrong places!

You can find the report and the embedded video links *here*

At last week’s Youth Work Week Showcase event CWVYS met Rachael, a promoter of BrightSky, who’s post is funded by the Home Office.

Bright Sky is a FREE app for anyone who may be in an abusive relationship. It also provides support for friends and families of victims, practitioners and employers who are looking for information about domestic and sexual abuse, sexual consent, online safety, stalking and harassment.

Bright Sky contains a UK-wide directory of Specialist Support Services. The help includes short questionnaires to assess safety of a relationship and steps to consider if leaving an abusive relationship. It provides information on healthy relationships, different forms of abuse, types of support available, how you can help and so much more. It has a function to record evidence in a Private Journal and provides a guide to on-line safety.

In an effort to raise awareness of Bright Sky Rachael can deliver brief demonstrations to smaller groups e.g. trainers/managers/safeguarding leads/youth workers and other key people.

These presentations then allow organisations to see first-hand how this app could benefit them and the people that come into contact with their service.

There is NO COST associated with Bright Sky. It is endorsed by the Home Office, supported by Welsh Government\WCVA and is the only app that is licensed by Secured by Design.
More information can be found on www.hestia.org/brightsky

Rachael will be present at the next CWVYS Workforce Development Group meeting on the 25th of September. To learn more in the meantime visit www.hestia.org/brightsky or download the app on your phone, tablet or computer FOR FREE from the app store.

A search has been launched to find young people to take part in a ground-breaking initiative to help draw up a new plan for policing North Wales.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones is looking for a team of 30 aged between 14 and 25 to become members of Wales’ first Youth Commission which will be overseen by his deputy, Ann Griffith.

The Youth Commission will be consulted over the policing priorities for North Wales, particularly as they affect young people.

The members will be trained by Leaders Unlocked, a specialist social enterprise organisation that works with young people across the UK and which has been running eight similar schemes across England since 2013.

Recruitment is open now with information and application forms in English and Welsh available and the intention is to appoint the Youth Commissioners from across North Wales by the end of July to begin their training in August.

For more information visit *North Wales Youth Commission*

The deadline for applications is July 29th and the successful applicants will be drawn from all sectors of society, including young people who have had brushes with the law, and with a representative Welsh language presence.

Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, joined a number of youth work organisations in the Senedd yesterday for a Youth Work Week showcase event celebrating the impact youth work has across Wales and to publish the new Youth Work Strategy.

The strategy, founded on young people’s voices and developed in collaboration with key partners within the voluntary sector, statutory services, Education Training Standards, Education Workforce Council, and Estyn, sets out a vision for the future of youth work in Wales with 5 key aims ensuring that:

1. Young people are thriving
2. Youth work is accessible and inclusive
3. Voluntary and paid youth professional youth work staff are supported throughout their careers to improve their practice.
4. Youth work is valued and understood
5. We have a sustainable model for youth work delivery in Wales.

Reaffirming her commitment to achieving these aims, Kirsty Williams said:

“I want Wales to be a country where young people thrive, with access to opportunities and experiences, in both Welsh and English, which provides enjoyment and enriches their personal development.”

Rachel Benson, Equality, Inclusion and Programmes Manager at Youth Cymru, said:

“Youth Cymru are delighted to be part of this year’s Youth Work Week. This is a valuable opportunity to raise the profile of youth work, celebrate its impact and to come together to share best practice. Young people from Youth Cymru and our member organisations had the opportunity to shape and inform the new Strategy; they spoke about the importance of youth work being accessible, inclusive and providing safe spaces for young people to develop and thrive. We welcome its publication and the vision it sets out.”

We started the day with a stall brimming with goods to promote our work and the work of our members, but we were also thrilled to have some promotional materials from Eurodesk UK as we are in the UK partners network and value the service they provide. Eva from the Birmingham-based team even made the jounrey down to celebrate with us, and to give us some brand new leaflets, bilingual as usual, which is always appreciated from an organisation based over the border. The leaflets are part of their recent re-branding, and you can inspect the new look in more detail here: https://www.eurodesk.org.uk/

On the day we got to hear from some brilliant young speakers about their youth work experiences, including young staff at several CWVYS members. Sophia from YMCA Swansea talked about her work and experiences with mental health issues and the I Am Whole project, and Egija (also from YMCA Swansea) spoke of the climate emergency and her recent journey to the United Nations in New York, which was featured in the European Youth Portal!

The event showcased the diversity and quality of Youth Work provision across Wales, but it was particularly good to see so many CWVYS members represented. It was an event sponsored by Llyr Grufydd AM who holds voluntary youth services in high esteem and is a valued supporter and champion on youth work in the Senedd. Thank you to everyone who organised, supported and turned up on the day, a special thanks to Rachel from Youth Cymru for bringing us all together.

Self Employed Parent Advocate
Location: Caerphilly and Cardiff
Salary: £15.00 per hour
Closing Date: Friday 28 June 2019

NYAS is a leading children’s charity providing advocacy services for children and young people from 0-25.

NYAS are seeking to recruit advocates to provide independent and confidential advocacy to parent with children under the age of 25yrs.

You must have a recognised professional qualification and have significant experience of significant direct work in a related setting.

NYAS is an equal opportunities employer

For further information on this post please go to: NYAS VACANCY

CWVYS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT (WD) GROUP

After four years as its Chair, Grant Poiner (Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs of Wales) recently stepped down from the WD Group.

We have been grateful to Grant for his commitment and energy during that period but this is another opportunity to say how much we appreciated you being Chair, Grant – thank you!

We are now delighted to confirm that Stuart Sumner-Smith (Swansea Music Art Dance CIC) has been elected as the new Chair. I’m sure you will join us in welcoming Stuart in his new role.

And we are also very pleased that Ceri Ormond (Cwmbran Centre for Young People) has kindly agreed to stay on as Vice-Chair.

The WD Group is open to all Members of CWVYS and is a sub-group of the Executive Committee (Trustee Board), so has a very important role to play in shaping, influencing and supporting workforce development issues for voluntary youth services in Wales.

The next WD Group meeting is due to take place on 25th September at Baltic House, starting at 10.00am. If you would like to attend or to find out more about the Group’s work, please contact paul@cwvys.org.uk

Youth Participation Development Worker
Location: Cardiff
Salary: £17,800 pa (pro rata of £20,767 pa)
Hours: 30 hours per week
Closing Date: Friday 14 June 2019

NYAS is a leading children’s charity providing advocacy services for children and young people from 0-25, across England and Wales for over 30 years. Their work helps make a difference to the lives of the most vulnerable children and young people when they are in desperate need of help.

They are looking for a Youth Participation Development Worker who will be responsible for the development and delivery of the peer advocacy project and young people’s participation work in NYAS Cymru. The ideal candidate will promote and work in partnership with key stakeholders to recruit, train and support young care leavers to become peer advocates/educators and enable them to support and empower their peers in a range of forums. The role also includes facilitation of the “Bright Sparks” participation group within Cardiff as well as developing wider participation opportunities for young people across NYAS Cymru.

For more information and the job description, please click *here*.

Who will you nominate for “Young Leader (14 -25 years old)” this year?

DOWNLOAD A NOMINATION DOCUMENT HERE

*Nominations close on Friday 7th June at midnight*

YOUNG LEADER (14 – 25 years old)

This category is open to young people between 14 and 25 years who have a leadership role in any occupation (paid or voluntary) i.e. in business, in Public Services, in the community, in schools, colleges or Higher Education. (Please note: that in the case of young people younger than 18, contact details must not be provided to us. We shall communicate with the nominator only.)