Changemakers in partnership with the Local Government Information Unit has published Youth Participation Growing Up? The report describes theories of youth participation in the context of UK policy. Using a combination of a survey of local authorities, focus groups and interviews, it concludes that, although there have been significant advances in this area in recent years, there is a need to re-examine local practice to ensure youth representation is meaningful and can make a real difference to young people's lives.  To read the report click here. 

Changemakers believes that the current education system is out of date and that young people need to be involved in how their schools are run and what they learn when they are there.  We feel that schools need to develop their skills and prepare them for work and life, not just fill them up with information... we ask if this is the reason that so many young people simply don't want to be in school? And why so many leave formal education at 16?

Studies also show that the results of our current educational system aren't as impressive as we would like.  20% of adults cannot read, write or count to the expected standard of an 11 year old, and more and more employers feel that school leavers are unfit to enter the job market.

So, how and why are we producing young people that can't survive in work or adult life...?  And it's not just about work - happiness and well-being is just as important and according to UNICEF, our children are amongst the unhappiest in the western world!

So what to do? Changemakers wants to see radical changes to the curriculum, culture, values and governance of schools.  We strongly feel that the school curriculum needs to be modernized to meet the needs of the 21st century, including the development of practical skills as well as academic, supporting young people in social and emotional life skills as well as in the transition to adulthood.

We believe in giving young people the responsibility for leading their own learning, with the support of teachers, families, peers and the community. 

School provides an opportunity to properly prepare and empower young people for the demands that adult life will place on them, we need to make changes in order for this to happen. 

If you have an opinion on this article we would love to hear from you, please leave a comment or drop us an email!

Adam has been selected through the public appointments system to take up post at the General Teaching Council for England (GTC).

As the professional body for teaching in England, the GTC works in the public interest to help improve standards of teaching and learning and to raise the standing of the teaching profession. It registers and regulates qualified teachers, provides independent advice to Government on teaching and learning and supports teachers’ professional learning.

Sixty-four Council Members make up the GTC’s governing body. They contribute to GTC policy development, assist in upholding professional standards of conduct and competence by taking part in the investigation or hearing of regulatory cases, and act as advocates for teaching.

The candidates reflect a wide range of experience and expertise including parent governors, outstanding classroom practitioners and specialists in special educational needs and early years.

GTC Chief Executive Keith Bartley said: 'I welcome the new appointees to the GTC and congratulate them on their selection. Their combined skills and experiences will make a valuable contribution to Council and I look forward to working with them, starting with their first Council meeting in October.'

Adam comments:  "I feel extremely honoured to have been offered the opportunity to become a GTC Council Member.  In my capacity as CEO for Changemakers and having worked with young people in the Third Sector for many years I have a 360 view of the situation that faces young people, from working with them directly, to helping shape the policies that create their environments.  Education is facing a period of great change and I want to bring my experience to bear to ensure that it only improves."   

The GTC's 64 council members form a unique partnership. They develop and support relationships within and beyond the education community. The Council is made up of: 25 members who are elected by registered teachers; nine members chosen by teacher trade unions and associations; 17 members chosen by other organisations connected with teaching; and 13 members chosen through the public appointments procedure, which the Government uses to appoint people to a wide range of public organisations.

You can read the official press notice here.

Five leading national youth organisations have joined forces to improve opportunities for young people. The ‘Choose Action’ Alliance is working to influence organisations & policymakers, with the aim of improving youth-led volunteering and community action.

By bringing together their complementary skills and areas of operation, the partners feel they can better achieve their objectives and add value to their activities. They aim to build capacity and develop communications, resources and networks in the sector – to make their activities more sustainable and present a strong, clear voice in discussions of social policy.

Rather than looking for a short-term fix, the partners have focused on building solid foundations for the collaboration. They have agreed a common set of values, a vision, mission, and objectives for the Alliance, and developed an operating framework which supports these.

Who’s involved?
Choose Action is an alliance of five youth organisations: Changemakers, Volunteering England (principally through their Student Volunteering Team), World Wide Volunteering, Youth Action Network, and YouthNet.

To read the full details on how this Alliance started and where it's going in the future, click here for the full story.

In its response to the Youth Citizenship Conmmission consultation on the voting age, Changemakers has argued that lowering the voting age to 16, first for local elections, would make little difference to voter turnout or the civic engagement of young people.

Voter turnout at local elections has historically been low, rarely rising above 33%, and is even lower amongst younger voters. “Simply allowing 16 year olds to vote will not change this” says Adam Nichols, Chief Executive of Changemakers.

Changemakers suggests that the first step in getting young people involved in and engaged with their local communities is to focus on giving young people a stake in these communities. By allowing young people the opportunity to lead community change and participate in policy and decision making, they are able to see how the decisions they make at a local level can have some influence. This is likely to have a more powerful effect on their civic engagement than simply giving them the right to vote in local elections.

Adam Nichols says that “whilst it may be appropriate to lower the voting age in the long run, I do not believe that this should be the focus of policy.”

To read the full response click here.

This story made the headlines on PublicNet. You can read the news story here.