Wot will the New Year bring

With the festive season behind us and everyone getting back into the swing of work,( I hope, with new enthusiasm and energy), the city’s young people have a new and exciting year ahead of them with lots of events, workshops and activities planned. 2011 is definitely set to be the year of Positive Participation. Opportunities will see young people gearing up for their involvement in the 2nd Community Media Week during June’s National Volunteer Week and a Young Peoples conference taking place on Saturday 4th June. The planning and preparation events in the build up to the 2012 Olympics will move up a gear and another year for the development of the next 12 editions of WAVE. 

The close of 2010 saw the Leicester WAVE Newspaper Awards take place in the Central Lending Library, with over 120 people attending. The night was dedicated to each and every young person who had contributed to the newspaper (some 380 young people aged 4-25), with awards and special experiences presented to nominated award winning young reporters. 

Hoor Pathan  & Hollie Sturgess (Deputy Editor of WAVE) were presented with award’s for the Longest Personal Journey’s and received the experience of a flying lesson each donated by Blaby Rotary Club.

Hoor said “I am so excited about having a flying lesson, I will be so scared but writing about will be great. I can’t believe I won a trophy its brilliant I love WAVE!”

I can’t quote what Hollie said as it was along the lines of a threat to me afterwards!!!! (But I am sure after completing the corporate relay at the Leicester Marathon and finishing her two section’s rather than one on crouches, a flying lesson will be a breeze for Hollie!)

Leicester Wave Awards Celebration

Representatives from Leicester City Council, Leicester Libraries, Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, Members of the Cabinet, Leicestershire County Council, Inspire Leicestershire, etc shared the evening with parents and family members. The evening was a great success and a fantastic way to end the 1^st year of the project. Lets hope that 2011 brings with it lots more fantastic articles and many more young reporters.

                                                   Young people recognised at awards                                

   

The 12^th edition of Leicester WAVE came out on December 29th and was another testament to the dedication of the young people involved in the newspaper. Thank you to everyone who worked on this edition and ensured that it happened over Christmas. It was a great edition. 

The next 12 months for WAVE will be crucial in order to attract the funding needed to develop an advertising strand. The young people are looking for funding of around £40,000 to ensure that the newspaper can run for another year whilst the Leicester Mercury’s advertising team help them develop a sustainable approach to ensuring that the newspaper continues with support.

The young people are very excited about the opportunities this will bring in terms of both developing personal skills and experience and also enabling the WAVE to become a sustainable young people’s written sourced and edited newspaper, that will be around for years to come. 

Leicester Children’s Council have had the most hectic 12 months and the next three are going to be just as busy. There 20 members representing different areas of the city. As a result of the WAM (We All Matter) consultation and the successful roundtable event, the young people have decided to get involved in two small projects, one of which is linked to the play strategy and the other is linked to young people getting involved in Community Ward meetings in a more creative way.  I am sure over the next few months I will be keeping you updated with the developments of the projects.

                               Leicester Children's Council play workshop

Alongside this the Wot Box projects will continue running in seven of the city’s libraries. Sessions are being delivered in Braunstone, New Parks, Beaumont Leys, Saffron, Evington, Hamilton, and Central Lending. Over 50 young people have attended sessions and some young people have conducted interviews and produced articles that have featured in Leicester WAVE.

Two Halves One Whole 

I am going to be working with the Family Action steering group of young people over the next few months to help develop and support them to deliver 2 workshops for professionals around working with mixed heritage young people and their families. The young people are so excited that they received the funding and are going to actually get the chance to “Teach adults”. I will be keeping you updated with the developments of the training and the delivery of the workshops and also the feedback collected from the professionals attending.

Two Halves One Whole steering group

Integrated Working Advisory Board

The young people involved in the advisory board had a great year in 2010 and I am sure that by spending the next three months focusing on their involvement within communities, 2011 will be a brilliant year for them. With their involvement and ideas they have been able to develop their Scenarios DVD for the Children’s Workforce, which will be released soon. I am sure that there will be a launch event so all the young people and adults involved can see the final product. I can’t wait as it was a great project to work on.

Integrated Working Advisory Board young people developing scenarios  

With all this positive participation taking place already and with so much more in the pipeline, I am very excited and very very very happy to be doing the job that I am doing. I’m very much looking forward to 2011 and working with the people who make my job and the work that I do the best job in the world . . .. Leicester’s Children and Young People.

I hope everyone has a great 2011

Happy New Year. 

You can get in touch with me at:

tina@wotboxcons.co.uk           Tel: 0116-2422940      Mobile: 07521289520