In between starting a new term of lessons at college, delivering leaflets around Central Watford, and trying my utmost to get my university application completed I still have the odd few minutes to dedicate to being a Youth Advocate.

The group- currently consisting of seven young people, who either live in Watford, or attend a local school- have been trained by, what was, Connexions, to “advocate” on behalf of other young people- whatever that means!
At the moment we are still trying to find our feet, and fit in alongside the Youth Council- something I also use to be a part of.

One of our main focuses at the moment is planning, and eventually delivering, an event for young people during the Summer.
We are doing this alongside the local District Children’s Trust Partnership (DCTP), which is a coming together of those organisations who deliver services for young people- some examples of which include the Borough Council, County Council, the One Stop Shop, the Adventure Playgrounds, Extended Schools, and so on.

Each of the ten DCTPs in Hertfordshire have been given £6000 to deliver a “positive activities” event for young people in their district.
In Watford we are fortunate enough to have made contact with, and worked with a number of members of the DCTP, which has meant that the Youth Advocate group have been given the reigns, so to speak.
We have also combined funding & manpower with the Three Rivers DCTP so that what we deliver can be on an even larger scale.
The event, which has quite aptly been named Take2 (taking two districts), will be held at Watford Girl’s Grammar School on Saturday the 21st of June, with the aim to bring together local young people, and service providers.

We, however, pointed out, as young people, that actually this may not attract a particularly wide audience of our peers- therefore there had to be a bit of a twist.
That twist being performances from local bands, dance & theatre groups, taster sessions in football, salsa & sumo wrestling, a bouncy castle, food & not forgetting free entry!
Sounds fantastic doesn’t it!? (Not that I’m at all bias!)
But I tell you what it’s bloody hard work trying to cater for an estimated 1500 young people coming through the gates throughout the day!

But all is in hand as in the next few weeks we firm up our participants list, visit schools to deliver presentations, organise our publicity material, and draw in some volunteers to help out on the day!
PHEW…and breathe!

It’s going to be fab! And I know that June’s going to come around all too quickly!
Any questions about the event, Youth Advocates, or anything else I happen to have written about just leave me a comment & I’ll post a response.

And now back to work…

By an utterly exhausted young person.