Category: Uncategorized

A Welsh Government Update:  Youth Work in Wales – What does it mean for young people?

Over the last few months, Welsh Government officials have been talking with the youth work sector about its experiences and thoughts regarding the youth services and activities available for young people in Wales. This is to help develop proposals to strengthen the legal requirements for youth work. You can read more about some of the key messages from those conversations here.

Since then, we have met with a wide range of partners and organisations to explore some themes and issues in more detail.

To help us move this work forward and make sure it reflects the views and experiences of young people, we want to hear from you. If you are a young person aged between 11 and 25 living in Wales, we are interested to learn more about your experiences of youth work and hear your ideas about how it can continue to grow and develop, alongside other important services that work hard to help young people be happy, healthy and connected as much as possible.

Whether you take part in regular or occasional youth work, or if you’ve not yet had the chance, we want to ask you the following questions:

 

1. What youth work provision is available in your community or online now where you can meet friends, try new things and get advice and support when you need it?
2. Is there anything which stops or makes it difficult for you to access this youth work provision at the moment?
3. What youth work activities, services or events would you like or need that you don’t have at the moment?

 

To learn more please watch the videos linked below.

What is Youth Work

What does it mean to young people in Wales

 

How to get involved and share your experiences?

Please email us at YouthWork@gov.wales where we will aim to give you more information or put you in touch with a local youth service who can help you to access a group response.

You can write your responses, send us a photo of your responses, or share a short video or voice message. If you need help, you can ask your youth worker, support worker, teacher or anyone you know and trust to submit these responses on your behalf.

Deadline for submitting responses: Sunday 9^th June, 2024.

With Mental Health Awareness Week (13th-19th May) quickly approaching, Ygam are continuing their work within gaming and gambling harm prevention and education.

Join Sam Starsmore (Ygam’s Programme Lead for Education) whilst he hosts a live session at 15:30 PM on Thursday 16^th May for any professionals to attend who may work with children and young people.

This 1-hour session will give professionals a lived experience account of how gambling can have a detrimental impact on an individual’s life and those around them, delving into the impact on the mental health of Sam himself and those around him whilst struggling with addiction. The session details Sam’s lived experience of gambling harm, which started at the age of 16. There will also be an opportunity to ask Sam questions to broaden your insight on this emotive topic and find out more about the City & Guilds free training Ygam provide.

This session comes with a trigger warning with discussions around suicide, gambling products and mental health. If you’re impacted by gambling or someone else’s gambling, please contact 0808 8020 133. 

WORKSHOP BOOKING LINK: Mental Health Awareness Week – Lived Experience Session

Henceforth the first Monday of June will be the beginning of Volunteers Week, this year marks the 40th Anniversary of the celebratory week as well!

 

Today we’d like to share some resources for this year’s Volunteers Week with you; https://volunteersweek.org/

The majority of the assets are available bilingually, which is amazing; https://volunteersweek.org/get-involved/resources/

This includes the certificates and thank you cards are available in English and Welsh; https://volunteersweek.org/get-involved/resources/saying-thank-you/

This year the dates have changed, overlapping with Volunteers Week is the Big Help Out, and it’s hoped that organisations can get involved, enjoy and maybe serve as a way to recruit more volunteers; https://www.thebighelpout.org.uk/

Please do feel free to share with your colleagues and networks.

Strengthening the legislative basis for Youth Work in Wales

Join the Welsh Government’s Youth Engagement Team for the next phase of the ‘Empower Hour’ engagement sessions. 

A series of ‘Empower Hour’ online sessions were held in December 2023 and January 2024 to engage with the sector on some key themes relating to strengthening the legislative basis for youth work. You can find the key messages from those sessions here.

Since then, a range of partners and stakeholders have met with the team to explore these themes and issues in more detail. These discussions are helping to inform their work to develop proposals to revise the existing statutory directions and guidance.

The next series of ‘Empower Hour’ online sessions will focus on three specific areas:

• Strategic planning for youth work
• Accountability within youth work
• Partnerships for youth work.

They want to engage with different groups involved in youth work and those new to the sector. Key questions will be introduced to help gather a diverse range of experiences and ideas. Further details of those sessions are provided below. Please join the conversation!

 

Strategic planning for youth work

Who: They want to hear from different leaders in youth work and those new to the sector, to help inform the development of an effective strategic planning cycle for youth work in Wales.

When: 13th May @ 10:00-11:30 & 24th May @ 13:30-15:00.

 

Accountability within youth work

Who: They want to hear from youth work practitioners, including those new to the sector, to help inform the development of an effective accountability framework for youth work in Wales at all  levels.

When: 17 May @ 10:00-11:30 or 7 June @ 13:30-15:00.

 

Partnerships for youth work

Who: They to hear from those that have established relationships in youth work and those new to the sector and who want to contribute to strengthening existing partnerships and promote innovation.

When: 22 May @ 15:00-16:30 or 10 June @ 10:00-11:30. 

 

How to sign up:

For more information, or to register your place, please email YouthWork@gov.wales and let them know which session and date/time you would like to attend. You can attend more than one session.

The latest Welsh Government Youth Work Bulletin is now live on the website.

You can view it here: Youth Work Bulletin: Now Available! (govdelivery.com)

For previous issues of the Bulletin please see this page: Youth work newsletters | GOV.WALES

If you would like to receive future issues directly you can subscribe here: Subscribe to the youth work newsletter | GOV.WALES

If you’d like to know more about the Bulletin, including how to contribute, please contact Marketing and Communications Officer for the Youth Sector in Wales, Manon Williams, via Manon@cwvys.org.uk 

Urdd Peace and Goodwill Message

Every year since 1922, the young people of Wales have shared a message of peace to their peers around the world. To this day, this is the only message of its kind in the world. It’s a valuable tradition that empowers the youth of Wales to create and inspire humanitarian activity internationally.

The message is created into a short film and will be available to share from the Urdd’s social media accounts on 17 May 24 | 7:30am BST.

2024 Theme:

This year’s Message honours the legacy of the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition of 1923-1924, signed by 390,296 women across Wales. A hundred years later, the young women of Wales reaffirm the need to advocate for peace. The message inspires us to act for peace. It emphasizes that war and violence is never the answer – encouraging us to lead and collaborate for a brighter future for everyone.

The Urdd kindly seek your support in amplifying this important video message on May 17th.

Today – Note the 17th of May in your calendar, and follow the Urdd on:

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok.

For further information:

• Download the Partner Pack
• Go here to our website.

Please email Luned Hunter (Urdd International Officer) – lunedhunter@urdd.org confirming that you’re happy to share the message on your social media accounts on the 17^th of May, and Luned will email you the links to the posts on the morning of the 17^th of May.

Together we can call for peace on 17 May 2024.

Thank you for your support.

Estyn are recruiting for peer inspectors to work on their youth inspections.

Applications are welcomed from individual applicants who;

• Have at least 3 years of experience in a youth work organisation or in the field of youth work;
• Have paid or unpaid (volunteer) experience in their youth work role, full or part time;
• Have experience of youth work in a quality role.

A professionally endorsed qualification in youth work (or proof that you are working towards one) is desirable though not essential at present, as the profession works towards full qualification and registration levels. This will be an essential requirement from September 2026 onwards.

Closing date: 10am on Monday 29 April 2024

More info and application pack available here: Current vacancies | Estyn (gov.wales)

Darryl White (Workforce Development Officer for the whole youth sector, based at WLGA), has made an arrangement with Brook to deliver this CPD: Brook Sexual Behaviours Traffic Light Tool (RSE) to the sector. This course will be delivered to 44 staff within the sector, ideally 22 Local Authority staff and 22 from the Voluntary Youth sector.

We been asked to pass on this Expression of Interest form to Members, gauge the interest and then pass the details on to Darryl to inform the training session(s).

The dates from Brook are June 10^th, 17^th and 24^th. Each session is the same, attendees can select their preferred date from the three offered. The training will take place between 9.30 am and 3.30 pm, and it will accessible as an online course. We are waiting to hear about Welsh-language provision.

If you could return the form to helen@cwvys.org.uk indicating your interest by 22/04/24 that would be great.

There would be one place only per Member organisation.

Thank you to those who have already returned your forms. 😊

Developing highly skilled Youth Workers for the young people of Wales

15 April 2023, 1-3pm

​This webinar is presented by the Workforce Development Implementation Participation Group, one of five groups established to support the work of the Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board.

​As part of the ongoing work to consider, develop and implement the recommendations the Interim Youth Work Board made in their final report `Time to deliver for young people in Wales’, as an IPG, we recognise the need to better understand where there is a need for further work to help the workforce to develop. This is essential to ensure that we have a highly skilled workforce that can meet the increasingly complex and changing needs of young people across Wales.

​As with most professions, Youth Work in Wales is facing unprecedented challenges with recruitment and retention of Youth Workers, and members of the IPG are working hard in developing strategies to address these issues. By taking part in the webinar, you will be able to hear first-hand on the initiatives that are being developed and will have an opportunity to ask questions and we would welcome ideas.

​The Webinar will consist of:

​· An insight into the work of the IPG

​· Audience engagement sessions on:

– Is the current workforce delivery model fit for purpose?

– Where could workforce development funds be allocated?

– How can we promote Youth Work as a career option?

​We hope you can join for two hours of engaging conversation with IPG members – if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in advance upon booking.

​Presenters include:

​Jo Sims, Blaenau Gwent Youth Service – Chair of the Workforce Development IPG

Steve Drowley, Chair of ETS Cymru Wales

Emma Chivers, Youth Work Consultant

Darryl White, Workforce Development Officer

Donna Robins, Welsh Government Youth Engagement Branch

​Those involved in youth work in Wales who are interested in learning more and contributing to this discussion are welcomed.

Sign up free today: https://lu.ma/lmkr04fv

​Welsh to English and BSL interpretation will be available on the day.

 

Become an Associate – Applications Open

The National Academy for Education Leadership is committed to ensuring that Wales is a great place to be an educational leader and that, through high quality leadership across the educational system, we deliver our nations bold ambition for learners.

We are looking for senior leaders from across Wales to join the next cohort of Associates. For this next round of Associates, we are particularly interested in appointing senior leaders from a range of educational settings across Wales including:

• Assistant Headteachers
• Deputy Headteachers
• Headteachers
• Senior leaders from the youth work sector
• Senior leaders from Post Compulsory Education & Training (includes further education, adult community learning and work-based learning).

The National Academy for Educational Leadership is seeking to appoint Associates from under-represented groups including Black and Global Majority people in all sectors.

Deadline for applications 10 May.

Find out more on the website.

Download application guide

Download application form

 

The European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA) is keen on high-quality youth-friendly info, and every year they promote and celebrate this aim through European Youth Information Day (EYID), which takes place on April 17^th .

This year’s theme is Democracy, if any of you CWVYS members are working on or thinking ahead to the UK Local Elections this May 2nd, and how to make them matter to our communities and young people, then ERYICA’s webinar might be of interest and inspiration to you. More info from ERYICA below.

«Democracy in Action: Empowering Youth through Information»

This online session will focus on the importance of youth vote and democracy in
our days.
We will discuss how youth information can fill the gap in young people’s
knowledge of democratic processes while exploring the role of youth workers in
promoting democracy, particularly during times of adversity.
If your organisation is interested in presenting any testimonial about
the topic, don’t hesitate to contact us: aurelien.liot@eryica.org
Date: 17 April 2024

Your attention please, the webinar will be conducted in English to an audience of multi-lingual European youth work attendees.

To join register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XRu1CAe9SrGkSAHtM8awCA#/registration

Dates from now up to December 2024  All meetings start at 10 am and finish before 11.30am, if you would like to attend please contact Catrin@CWVYS.org.uk
Month	Central South and South East Wales	North, South West and Mid Wales
April	25-4-24   All Wales Meeting
May	23-5-24	24-5-24
June	20-6-24	21-6-24
July	25-7-24   All Wales Meeting
September	26-9-24	27-9-24
October	24-10-24	25-10-24
November	21-11-24	22-11-24
December	12-12-24   All Wales Meeting