Archived press release

Date Published: 22/11/07

Aylesbury Vale District Council is giving two local youngsters the chance to get a unique insight into the world of work. Sixteen-year-old Benjamin Evans and thirteen-year-old Josh Baxter will be joining the council on 23 November as part of the ...

Aylesbury Vale District Council is giving two local youngsters the chance to get a unique insight into the world of work.

Sixteen-year-old Benjamin Evans and thirteen-year-old Josh Baxter will be joining the council on 23 November as part of the first-ever ‘11 Million Takeover Day’, a national event to celebrate the importance of young people in our society. 

The youngsters will be working in AVDC’s sports development and communications departments to get an insight into the workings of the council.

As part of the event, supported by Buckinghamshire County Council, Benjamin and Josh will be encouraged to have their say on how AVDC publicises young people’s activities in the future. They will also get the chance to design a flyer to promote a youth event and discuss issues that affect them.

Takeover Day will see businesses and organisations across the country demonstrate their commitment to children and young people for the day. Organised nationally by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the project aims to ensure that the views of children and young people are listened to and taken seriously.

Organisers believe that by bringing children and young people into the heart of the decision-making process they can increase understanding of their best interests.

Encouraging youngsters to actively participate and contribute in decision making is just one of the priorities set out in AVDC’s Young People’s Services Improvement Plan. The wide-ranging plan will help ensure that every young person in the district gets the services they need, to ensure they are safe, healthy and have enough to do in the Vale.

As part of the council’s plans to engage young people in the local decision-making process, two youth panels covering Aylesbury and the rural areas of the district were set up in the summer to give youngsters a voice on issues that affect them. The panels will be transformed into district youth cabinets shortly and will have a direct role in shaping local services for young people.

A Big Brother style diary room will also be touring the Vale to give young people the chance to tell AVDC what activities they enjoy in their local area and what other things they might like to see. The video diary project will be used by the council to see if current facilities are hitting the mark.

Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “We want to help young people feel more involved in the decision-making process and help them find out a little bit more about how things work. The Takeover Day is an example of our commitment to engage youngsters and get them interested in local democracy and how it affects them. It’s just one of a number of projects we are working on to ensure that all young people in the district have improved services that meet their needs.”

To find out more about youth activities in Aylesbury Vale, call 01296 585224 or visit the council’s website at www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk