Young people are to be given a voice at the Young people’s Participation Conference on Saturday 7 November. The event brings together young people from across the county with politicians and senior people from major youth agencies.

The Conference is jointly sponsored by the County Council and Conoco. This event will put young people who currently contribute to the work of successful youth projects – alongside MP’s, local politicians and senior representatives of all the major youth related agencies.

Young people will give presentations, chair meetings, run workshops and help administrate the entire event.

Projects featured include the Crescent Youth Club from Nuneaton, the Rugby Youth Focus Groups, the Depot Information and Advice Project from South Warwickshire, the Voices Group from Leamington Spa and the North Warwickshire Young People’s Participation Project.

Paul Verity, Policy Development Officer from Warwickshire County Council, explains:

"We are currently developing a Policy for Young People to give them a say in the way in which services are developed for today’s youth.

"If we take the trouble to ask for the views of young people and listen seriously to what they say then we can develop services that are truly relevant to them. This conference is one significant way that we can take that theory of listening and put it into practice."

Councillor Ray Sweet, Chair of the Council, added:

"This event signals a very important developemnt in the process of securing a more positive position for young people within our communities.

"It has become depressingly familiar for young people to be blamed for everything that goes wrong in our neighbourhoods, when the numbers involved in real trouble are only very small.

"We don’t want to overlook the tremendous skills and energy that young people possess.

"If we are going to plan services that are needed by young people – then we need to ask them what they think about what we’re doing and how we can improve the services."

The conference will be held at the Leycester Conference Suite, Conoco Centre, Warwick.