Agenda item

1.    Young Mayor Taiga to Councillor Richard Watts, Leader of the Council

Voting and Democracy
How does Cllr Watts think the results from the recent general election will impact on the lives of Islington’s young people?

Reply:

Thank you for your question.  The general election result will be very significant for young people in Islington.  It will be harder for young people to access housing benefit and other benefits as well, such as out of work benefits.  Many will face housing benefit being taken away; the £12 billion welfare cuts will have a staggering impact.  Tuition fees have already been introduced, the Education Maintenance Allowance has gone.  The loss of tax credits will affect families and other cuts will be targeted at vulnerable people; young people and disabled people will be the hardest hit.  I am very worried about employment prospects for young people.  We need to keep supporting young people into housing and providing them with cash to study.

2.    Youth Councillor Hiba to Councillor Paul Convery, Executive Member for Community Safety

Community Safety
YCllrs are interested in how the Safe Haven scheme is contributing to young people feeling safe in Islington. How is this going and are there any statistics on how many YP have used it since it started?

Reply:

Thank you very much for your question.  It goes to the heart of the problem here and in many other boroughs.  The safety of young people is at the forefront of our minds.  We are all concerned and troubled about violence against young people on our streets.  Lorraine Dinnegan was instrumental in setting up the Safe Haven scheme in Islington; after her son Martin was killed, she campaigned tirelessly and selflessly.  There are approximately 50 safe havens in the borough, including many business and retail premises.  The council supports the scheme; all 10 libraries and the principal public buildings in the borough are safe havens.  I am afraid we don’t know how many incidents have been prevented, or young people protected, but I am convinced it is an important part of protecting young people on our streets.

3.    Deputy Young Mayor Abu to Councillor Paul Convery, Executive Member for Community Safety

Community Safety- Reducing Extremism 
How can young people in the borough be safe from radicalisation and extremism particularly online?  

Reply:

Many people across the country are struggling with how to prevent the violent radicalisation of residents and how to prevent terrorist attacks.  The tragedy is young people are being drawn into a different world, recruited and groomed by people seeking to exercise control of their hearts and minds.  Those Islington residents who have gone abroad sadly will not be coming back.  We want all schools to assess risks and provide training to help keep people safe on line.  We need to give people critical skills and schools have to be safe places to discuss ideas, to understand why some people feel a deep sense of grievance and provide space to express that.  We need to promote shared values, a sense of belonging and challenge the discrimination some people experience.  Schools and libraries monitor website content, but it is not possible to completely protect people from propaganda.  We need to ensure that teachers and parents are aware of what is on line; some of it is very slick and persuasive and we need a narrative against it.  Parents have to be the first line of defence and they need to prepare young people to approach the internet in the same way they would teach them about sexual predators.  There is a new duty on councils to prevent extremist radicalisation and we are preparing a plan and will consult widely.  As part of that we will welcome the views of the Youth Council and young people across the borough.

4.    Youth Councillor Anastasia to Councillor Joe Caluori, Executive Member for Children and Families

Youth Provision
As Cllrs are aware the summer term will be ending in the next couple of weeks. Please can Cllr Caluori tell us what’s on offer for Islington’s young people? How is it being promoted across the borough?

Reply:

I am proud that we are boosting our investment in summer activities for young people.  Summerversity is back for another year and is bigger and better with a range of courses and activities in technology and computing.  Young people will be able to programme their first game, build their own computer (and keep it), be the next Candy Crush developers and build their own app or be one of the first to use one of the world’s limited number of 3D printers. 

They can also test their wit with stand-up comedy, learn how to run a farm, learn how to fly with aerial theatre or try their hand at being a chef.  All activities are free but spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis for young people who live or go to school in Islington.  There will be an Instagram campaign to reach young people across the borough and share information about the courses and activities on offer and a hashtag campaign, #summerversity so young people can create their own content and upload photos which will be part of a weekly competition on Instagram.  We’ll be communicating with young people and families through the Youth Council and Council Twitter feeds and approximately 7,000 Summerversity brochures will be distributed.

The National Citizenship Service Challenge is also back in the borough offering all 15-17 year olds a once–in-a-lifetime experience, which includes a residential outside the borough. The programme helps young people build skills for work and life while taking on exciting challenges. It includes a Dragons’ Den event at which I’m a Dragon, so I’m looking forward to being mean!

Younger people can also take the Summer5Challenge.  This involves completing five separate activities for a chance to win prizes. Every time a challenge is completed, staff at the relevant venue provide a sticker to be stuck in the young person’s personal challenge card.  The challenges include completing a quiz about Islington which will be available at all of Islington’s libraries and the Islington Museum; borrowing and reviewing a library book; getting active at a pool or leisure centre; joining an activity at one of Islington’s youth hubs or clubs and taking a challenge in an open space at one Islington’s green spaces.  Our 12 adventure playgrounds will also be open all summer long, providing fun and safe play for children.

As you can see there is loads of stuff going on.  Information about all the activities is on Izzi and I hope you’ll work with me to promote it all.