Agenda and minutes

Present: Aimee Luck (NBC Officer) Debs Burns (NBC Officer), Charlie (Caroline Chisholm), Tabi (Wootton Park), Morcea Walker (Adult co-chair), Lissy (Northampton Academy), Mary (Kingsthorpe College), Alfie (Cadets), Simon Aston (NCC Officer)

Apologies: Cllr Anna King, Wiktoria, Josh, Jay, Harpreet, Louis, Zach, Thomas, Freya, Ammiee-Leigh.

Aimee Luck welcomed all to the meeting.  Aimee asked all how they were getting on going back to school, what were the arrangements like? Do you have to wear masks?  Travelling to school? Mary, Charlie, Alfie and Lizzy all reported that it was good to be back in school, structure good for mindset.  Each school seemed to be doing things slightly different but overall, feedback was good, and students were happy to be back in school. Comments to note were:

·        Catching up with teachers is an issue

·        If you need further support difficult to see teachers

·        Buses and travel issues:  MW mentioned the bus survey which young people had seen. 

Aimee introduced Simon Aston, E Safety Officer, Northampton County Council

Simon thanked the Youth forum for inviting him to their meeting and gave an outline of his purpose today at the Youth Forum. Simon is interested to get young people’s views on Covid 19 Lockdown, especially use of social media etc.

          Q1. Lockdown – for young people during Lockdown was mental health and wellbeing an issue?

•         Mary said lack of motivation, no structure to the day, deadlines were not met as no motivations to do so.

•         Charlie said that friendships – missed friends, not always in the same group and new other students in different years.

•         Morcea advised that Refugees / Asylum seeker young people encounter loneliness –

Covid v Racisms. Cllr Stone Youth Group working closely together.

Action: AL to send SA details of other Youth Groups

          Q2. SA asked if young people were struggling, what advice would you give them?

•         Talk to someone

•         Get help

•         Talk to a teacher

          Q3. SA asked do you feel the internet has been a help or a hindrance?

•         Help.

•         Kind of both

o        School work hindrance as keen to look at other apps rather than school work

o        Keeping in contact with friends and family – a HELP

SA asked the group if they have watched the Netflix film ‘Social Dilemma?  It is a top 10 film on Netflix, raises some interesting points, however also scare mongering, not of lot of input had been given by young people.

          Q4. What was/is the hardest part of Lockdown?

•         Charlie said at the start everything took longer, I was doing either all or nothing, finding it difficult to get a working pattern.  Compound effect was lack of motivation.

•         School provides routine structure

•         Positive out of Lockdown Charlie has started his on line website – Inspire your Future, 2 sessions weekly, Wednesday & Thursday, motivational speakers.    Action: SA to contact CA to discuss perhaps talking on one of the sessions.

SA advised that not everything had been doom and gloom, young people are passionate, interested and positive about lots of issues.

•         Alfie said that he found school work had been difficult at home, getting into a routine, it was a lot easier to do work at school rather than at home.

Q5. Covid – how do you feel the media / news has been reported?

•         Tabi said she had stopped watching the news as it had made her more worried as on all the time, gained information from school

•         Lissy said she had got bored of watching the news and generally went to the Government website for updates.

•         Charlie said that it did not always represent a true picture, what is really happening, some stories superficial. SA advised that 1/3 videos on You Tube re Covid had the wrong information and information on twitter reaches audiences 6 times quicker.

•         Mary said she tended to stay away from the news.

•         Simon said – Challenge What you See!

Simon thanked all for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Hate Crime Week 10 – 17 October. 

Virtual event, what is hate crime? Where to report? Videos and key messages to be posted on-line.  

Police are also doing a Q&A Action: AL to share date with Youth Forum.

Do you know what a Hate Crime is? NBC have a page of information and a link to report here.

Other places where you can report a hate crime are; Police by calling 101 or report online, Tru Vision or Fearless.

·        Virtual Parliament Week - would you like to do something like before?  Q&A with High Sheriff / MPs. Will need to discuss and get information ready before hand.

·        AL advised that Alfie was standing down, thank you to Alfie for all your support and best wishes for the future.

·        New Year October – AL asked all to confirm if they are staying Action: all to confirm to Aimee. At the meeting Charlie, Lissy, Tabi and Mary said they were staying. Mary would like to stay but aware she has been on the group for a long time and that someone else from her school may want to attend.

·        Emails also received from Ayo, Thomas and Zach all staying on for next year.

·        Action: AL to set up WhatsApp group, Youth members quicker to respond this way

·        Debs asked if our young people would be happy to take part in an anonymous survey re the Opal Project.  Email to be sent Friday.  https://www.servicesix.co.uk/the-opal-project/ 

The link is https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LSDKDBT

1.       

·        AL asked the group if they were happy for Anneka to attend the October meeting – continue work on the action plan.   AL will think about how to run the meeting in October, normally we would meet and spend the whole day meeting new members, induction etc.  Action: All – please share thoughts on how we might be able to run the session during Covid

·        Mary & Charlie asked AL if she would support with their respective applications (Uni and America). Action: AL to complete as soon as possible and send to both.

Youth Forum Induction Session – Thursday 29 October

Thursday 29 October, time tbc