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In the early evening of Thursday 24th January, the young councillors of the Lambeth Youth Council took part in a fantastic event in Lambeth Town Hall, meeting some very interesting people and hearing about some very exciting opportunities.
Four groups of people sat at tables around the room, one to talk about young people’s access to work experience, one about social mobility and aspiration for young people, one about garnering the councillors opinions on the Crystal Palace Park redevelopment, and another about young people’s fashion habits.
It was an opportunity for the young people to share their thoughts with these four organisations, who will hopefully go on to use their opinions to shape and mould their projects and their development.
The young councillors were asked by a new organisation, ‘Get Me In’, about what work experience they had (or had not) done, what type of work experience they look for, and what kind of website would be helpful to them in finding work experience.
They were also asked about what they want to do in the future by a group of representatives from ‘Zinc VC’, an organization that “builds new companies that solve the developed world’s toughest social issues” and what their plans are, how they plan to get there, and whether they have had any external influences on their planning, such as having a tutor or mentor.
The councillors also gave their opinions on the planned redevelopment of Crystal Palace Park by a representative of the Greater London Authority (GLA). They were shown the architect’s drawings and plans for the historic park, and were asked about what they like to see in their local parks, how often they go to the park, and what activities they most like doing.
Another group of representatives from Zinc VC asked the young councillors about what their fashion habits are, and what patterns emerge when we are looking for new clothes to buy. This was a particularly interesting topic which the young councillors engaged with great enthusiasm. The research gathered here has helped shape case studies that will contribute towards a solution to fast fashion.
Some of the young councillors described this consultation event as a “very interactive” and “informative” event that they would “love to do again”. Others described it as “amazing”, “motivating” and an event that “filled them with hope”.
The comments of the young councillors are a testament to the exciting opportunity that the event offered for the young councillors of the LYC, and we hope to be more involved in similar events in the future.
Written by Dylan Brewerton- Harper (19)