Youth charity, The Prince’s Trust Cymru, is recruiting business men and women from across South Wales to take on the challenge of mentoring a young person. With volunteer help, The Trust can help to change young lives in the UK. It gives practical and financial support, developing skills such as confidence and motivation. It works with 14-30 year olds who have struggled at school, have been in care, are long-term unemployed or have been in trouble with the law. The Trust is offering core training for potential volunteers, especially people who may consider mentoring on the newly launched Business Programme, enabling and supporting young people to set up their own enterprises.  As a provider of volunteer training, The Trust is well respected and will provide volunteers with a greater understanding of the work of the Trust and how mentors can make a real difference.
 
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5 November 2008
© WCVA

The annual hunt is underway to find the best young innovators in the Highlands and Islands. The ICT Youth Challenge is looking for more young people with bright ideas. Supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), BT Scotland, Microsoft and UHI the competition invites teams of young people to submit their ideas for information and technology and communications products of the future. The most promising ideas are then selected and teams invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of experts. After a number of rounds, the competition culminates with five teams being chosen to go forward to a Hot House final, an intensive week of team work and expert advice focusing on supportive entrepreneurial activities that raise confidence levels and skill sets for the participants. Alistair Murray, youth challenge project director said: “The challenge is really fun - one of the most worthwhile activities around and the prizes are breathtaking. Last year more than 500 young people entered and this year we want to ramp up activity. So, over the next few weeks watch out for youth challenge personnel in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles before they head back to visit mainland sites.” Taking part in the challenge has really made a difference. Several of the young alumnae have decided as a result to take a completely different career path than they’d originally planned whilst others have actually advanced their ideas to patent status. Last year’s winners came from Nairn Academy. Named ICT Unit, and consisting of Laura Fairley, Callum Beddie and Jennifer Baird, their idea was a scanning device for mobile phones that can sweep clothes barcodes to see if they fit. This won them a trip to the world famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, courtesy of HIE.

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04 November 2008
© HIE

A new national billboard campaign encouraging young people and communities to stand together against knife crime was launched today by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. The new interactive campaign will run in phases throughout the next three months in urban, residential areas across England and Wales, including the ten areas involved in the Tackling Knives Action Programme. Young people will be encouraged to show their support by adding their own anti-knife photo pledges to the Bebo website. Their images will then be included on later versions of the posters in the series which will be unveiled by the Home Secretary next month. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:  “I want young people to stand united with us in the fight to tackle knife crime and send a clear message that weapons won’t be tolerated on our streets. Over 60,000 young people have visited the “It Doesn’t Have to Happen” page on Bebo and the site has over 6,000 friends. The vast majority of young people are honest and law-abiding and it is crucial that we all spread the message more widely that carrying a knife is not acceptable. We can’t do this alone - we need the help of local communities to make a stand.”
The new billboards are the latest step in the Government’s £3 million national marketing campaign, “It Doesn’t Have to Happen”, which was launched in May this year.

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3 November 2008
© Home Office (National)

Make Your Mark in the Music Business is working in partnership with live music promoters, Curious Generation to find young people (aged 18-30) from across the UK who would like to set up and run a regular, live music night in their home town or city, but need help and support to do so. For those who love music, have a genuine interest in the music scene in their area and want more experience of the music industry, Curious Generation can provide credibility, a base and support. They’ll get the local venue’s agreement to host a regular night, give relevant training to manage and promote the event and offer some financial support. In return they need those involved to scout for new artists, liaise with the venue, oversee all sound and technical requirements, promote the event to the target audience, manage the night (weekly, fortnightly or monthly) and become a guest contributor to the Make Your Mark in Music blog to share experiences. The deadline for applications is 30 November 2008.

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29 October 2008
© Make Your Mark

This short booklet explains the Government’s plans for countering violent extremism to protect the security of the UK in the long term. To be successful, we need to undermine extremist ideology, strengthen our institutions, support individuals who are susceptible to radicalisation, help our communities resist violent extremism and address the grievances on which extremists prey. Local partners, particularly police and local authorities, have a vital role to play in achieving the strategy’s objectives. The Guide for local partners gives detailed guidance to support those working in this field, including the importance of work with young people and the need to include schools, colleges, children’s and youth services in strategic planning and local delivery for work on preventing violent extremism. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the role of children’s services or schools in this area, please contact community.cohesion@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

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27 October 2008
© DCSF

A teenage volunteer has seen off stiff competition from police, lawyers and staff at criminal agencies across England and Wales to win the 2008 Justice Shield, the leading award for outstanding contributions to criminal justice in England and Wales. Eighteen year old Matthew Entwisle from Lancaster is a volunteer police cadet. He led a project on police interaction with youths which saw police chiefs in Lancashire taking on his ideas. He also helped to raise funds for ten cadets to be trained as mentors for young victims of crime. In total, Matthew has devoted well over 1,000 hours of voluntary work. Matthew today received the Justice Shield was from the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland QC, at the 2008 Justice Awards presented by broadcaster Kirsty Young. The Justice Awards is supported by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

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22 October 2008
© Ministry of Justice (National)

An extra £3 million to keep young people safe in the ten Tackling Knives Action Programme police forces was announced today by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, as part of the Government’s wider action on youth crime. Earlier this year, the Home Secretary outlined plans to focus a programme of action on knife crime and announced an initial investment of £2 million. The ten areas taking part in the Tackling Knives Action Programme are London, Essex, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Merseyside, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Nottinghamshire, South Wales and Thames Valley. Today’s new money will go towards rolling out: After-school patrols: a visible police presence on the routes to and from schools; Safer School Partnerships: a dedicated police officer allocated to a school or group of schools to promote safety and work with young people at risk of victimisation, offending, poor behaviour or attendance; and Operation Staysafe: police using safeguarding laws to remove young people at risk from the streets at night and take them to a place of safety.

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21 October 2008
© Home Office

Blue Peter, the longest running children’s television show, has announced the charities set to benefit from what it hopes will be its biggest appeal yet. ContinYou, Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and Save the Children will use the cash raised to help young people across the world. To celebrate Blue Peter’s 50th anniversary, the appeal aims to help children across four continents, including those in the UK, to grow and eat better food. Editor of Blue Peter Tim Levell said he is delighted the three charities came up with an exciting proposal to inspire millions of young viewers to make a difference. “These charities really embraced the idea of working together to come up with an appeal that will have a lasting impact on children both here and abroad,” he added. Launching in November, further details of the appeal will be announced on Blue Peter, including which countries will be involved and what children can do to help.

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16 October 2008
© CAF

The money, announced today by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon, will allow the programme to help even more of Scotland’s fuel poor. She also revealed that from April 2009 it is intended that the government’s fuel poverty programmes are extended to include families on income support with children under five or with disabled children under 16. If introduced, these changes will represent the first time help with tackling fuel poverty, beyond basic insulation measures, will be offered to families as well as pensioners. Further details on the changes to fuel poverty programmes will be given in the Cabinet Secretary’s full response to the recommendations from the Fuel Poverty Forum. Ms Sturgeon said: “At a time when Scottish households face rocketing fuel bills this Government is committed to doing all that it can, within the powers that are available, to tackle fuel poverty.That is why, alongside boosting development in Scotland, helping households in these difficult economic times is a key theme of our six point programme announced this week.”

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18 October 2008
© Scottish Government

Mayor Boris Johnson today called for smarter solutions to gang violence and urged key anti crime organisations to help him tackle gang related youth crime in London. The Mayor spoke at the Gangs Guns and Weapons Practitioners Forum annual seminar, where he met with a range of representatives including the Home Office, Youth Justice Board and Metropolitan Police, ex-offenders, young people and youth workers to discuss solutions to violent crime. The Mayor voiced concern about vulnerable young people being lured into criminal gangs and promised hard hitting new plans to tackle crime would be announced shortly in his Youth Violence Strategy. Mayor Boris Johnson said, “I am filled with despair every time I read about another fatal stabbing or shooting. It is a tragedy that 27 teenagers have become victims of knife and gun crime this year. Enough is enough - I am adamant that this violence must stop. “Years of neglect has led to some disaffected young people looking to criminal gangs for the support and guidance they would normally find at home and at school. We need to use every resource available to reach out to these troubled teenagers. Every young person carrying weapons needs to be clear about the potentially horrific consequences of their actions. Equally every vulnerable teenager needs opportunities and support to turn their backs on criminal gangs.

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16 October 2008
© LONDON