A local council has announced a new Youth Development Scheme, that promises to help the district’s younger residents.
As part of the Bramwick Regeneration Project, a group of senior figures at Bramwick Council have collaborated to help younger residents feel more involved within the district — through the use of leaflets, employability workshops, supervised safe places, and a new Youth Council Board.
Cllr Gary Walton, who has lived in the district for over 30 years, told The Public Edit: “It’s been a long time coming. When I was a young lad, opportunities like this simply weren’t available to us. I would have jumped at the chance to sit on a youth board and have my say on planning decisions, policy priorities and responsible social media use.”
The Youth Council Board is led by the district’s youngest councillor, Cllr Adam Keyes, who is 52. Meetings will be streamed on the council’s YouTube page, subject to parental consent, and are expected to take place every four weeks on a Monday at 8pm. Young residents will be invited to take part in a short interview, with the application link expected to go live once the IT guy comes back from holiday.
One 19-year-old resident told The Public Edit: “Yeah, it seems pretty sound, I can’t lie. If it gets a place open after 9pm that isn’t a vape shop or a betting shop, my mates will be buzzing.”
“It’s not just the Youth Council Board that young residents can look forward to,” Cllr Walton added. “Our supervised safe spaces will give young people somewhere to socialise without worrying about safety, noise, weather, poor choices, or being too far away from a council-approved adult. Board games, squash and light snacks will be available in the town hall, community centre and library, subject to room availability.”
The scheme will also include a series of employability seminars delivered by local businesses such as Keith’s Flooring Company, Ambleside Manufacturing and Bramwick Senior Care Services, covering topics such as workplace confidence, CV building and how to maintain eye contact during an interview without looking confrontational.
The council confirmed that phase two of the scheme may involve asking a young person what they think, subject to funding.
The Public Edit 