Positive for Youth Summit 2011  The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) and the Department for Education hosted a Youth Summit where ministers, young people and representatives of the voluntary youth sector, local authorities and the private sector came together to discuss the key issues facing young people. The Summit aimed to support collaborative working across all service providers to young people, unlock potential for new partnerships, and draw on frontline expertise to develop a new shared vision for young people. The summit was co-chaired by Children and Families Minister Tim Loughton, Susanne Rauprich, Chief Executive of NCVYS, and Jack Rowley, vice chair of the British Youth Council. A number of Government departments were involved in the Summit - demonstrating a positive commitment to join up Government agendas for young people. Those in attendance included: the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Children and Families Minister Tim Loughton, Civil Society Minister Nick Hurd and Local Government Minister Andrew Stunnell. The Deputy Prime Minister gave a key-note speech setting out how the Government is co-ordinating policy to ensure a positive impact on young people. Over 270 delegates from a range of local and national organisations working with young people, as well as public sector and private sector bodies attended the Summit. Young people had an active role at the event including co-chairing panel sessions and debates, reporting the event through Twitter, and recording footage for a short film of the day’s proceedings. A market place of exhibitors showed off innovative services, frontline projects and products available to young people and the sector. The Children and Families Minister Tim Loughton invited exhibitors to make a Dragon’s Den style speed pitch for why delegates should visit their stand to find out more. Speaking about the event, Children and Families Minister Tim Loughton said:
"For too long young people in this country have had a bad press. Today's Positive for Youth Summit is an opportunity to begin to build a new vision for young people, one that recognises and supports the valuable contribution every young person can make to society. We know that young people today are facing a range of challenges and we want to tackle these head on. That's why we have brought together over 270 people who work with young people, as well as 50 young people themselves, to generate debate and hear their views on how we should develop services for young people. This work will continue over the coming months to help inform a new policy document to be published later in the year." NCVYS Chief Executive Susanne Rauprich added:
“The Summit allowed Government ministers and the youth sector to come together and create a new dialogue on how we can best serve young people. Never before have we seen such a wide spread of Government, Civil Society, Public and Private sector representatives in one place with a single objective – improving the policies that affects every young person in England”. Vice Chair of BYC and Co Chair of Positive For Youth, Jack Rowley commented:
“This next generation is facing a tough and uncertain future so it’s especially important that we remain Positive For Youth and translate this into support and opportunity. Every day children and young people demonstrate their resilience, creativity and achievement, frequently unrecognised and rarely rewarded. But increasingly many are making a positive difference to their communities and the world they live in, through volunteering or speaking up to influence decision makers. Last year nearly a million children and young people took part in peer elections and today many young representatives have joined national stakeholders to ask questions, challenge decision-makers and put forward their perspective on shaping the future. But if this is to be a good news story those views need to be listened to, and acted upon. Investing in youth is investing in all our futures.” Shola Arowosekila, delegate and member of NCVYS’s national youth forum ENVOY said:
“Young people don’t see Government departments as different organisations; they just feel the impact when a policy affects them. A co-ordinated and coherent youth policy is exactly what we need to help young people like me flourish.” Read what everyone has been saying on storify See photos from the event Read the full speeches from the event Tim Loughton MP Children and Families Minister Jack Rowley BYC Vice-Chair Read more about the event on CYP Now Young people will have a say in government's youth policy, says Loughton Clegg denies government has turned its back on young people
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