Information for Personal Advisers
Government doubles Apprenticeships commitment – Ministers have called for urgent action from the public sector to increase apprenticeship numbers during the global downturn. They argue that this is key if more people are to get the jobs they want in tougher times. To read more visit the website, where you wil need to register.
Student Finance England - Student Finance Direct will be renamed Student Finance England in autumn 2008. Student Finance England will help new students work out the financial support they'll get, apply for finance and keep track of their payments. To read more click here.
England to offer free computers for young people from low income families – Children from jobless and low income families will receive a free computer and free broadband access under major plans to close the digital divide amongst young people.
Find out more here.
New Youth Panel – A new team of 'youth advisors' was unveiled by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears this week as a 'voice for young people' on key issues from turning around run down areas to supporting vunerable people and building communities that young people want to live in. To read the full article visit the website and register.
New guide for professionals tackling substance misuse among young people – DrugScope has published The Essential Guide to Working with Young People about Drugs and Alcohol. The guide is aimed at a broad range of professionals who work with young people who are misusing drugs and alcohol or who are at risk of doing so, including teachers, youth workers and Connexions personal advisers.
Old enough to make a mark? The Youth Citizenship Commission is consulting on the minimum age for elections in the UK. The consultation paper seeks evidence and views on whether the voting age should be lowered to 16. The deadline for responses is 20 January 2009.
The DCSF is about to commission a study into how young people in year 7 are starting to form their views about their future educational and careers options. Young people in year 7 during 2008-09 are the first cohort that will be required to participate under the Raising Participation Age (RPA) arrangements in 2013. This research will involve exploring their decision making process and what the key influencing factors are on them.
Social networking and youth participation – The LGiU's Children's Services Network will run an Action Learning Set between December 2008 and June 2009 for local authorities, voluntary sector organisations and the private sector. It will explore how local government can harness the potential of social networking sites to promote youth participation in the democratic process and in the delivery of children's services. The project will encourage local authorities to work with other public, private and third sector service providers to develop their capacity and commitment to engaging with young people through social networking.
Alcohol and young people – Drinking, you and your mates: how does your night end? The Department of Health has produced a
new leaflet for young drinkers. This leaflet will help young people make choices about how much they drink and inform them on all they need to know about alcohol and drinking.
Sexual Health amongst young people – The Scout Association has launched new guidance to promote good sexual health amongst young people. The new guidance focuses on helping young people develop the confidence, maturity and self-esteem to resist peer pressure to be sexually active until they are ready to make safe and informed decisions.
The Young Muslim Advisory Group – Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and Children and Families Secretary Ed Balls have launched a new Young Muslim Advisory Group. The group will work directly with Government to help deepen its engagement with young Muslims. Find out more here.
The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services (C4EO) website contains valuable resources for updates in the early years and youth sector. To sign up for updates and find out more please visit their website.
YoMo: Practical Resources for Youth Participation – YoMo is a social enterprise that designs training programmes and resources to support the development of young people through their active community participation. They have recently updated their website and have a variety of resources on youth participation.
Eurodesk – The October edition of Eurodesk is now available on their website, with useful information, opportunities and activities from across Europe.
vinspired new ‘Favours’ campaign – A new ‘Favours’ campaign has been launched by vinspired and is designed to transform the face of volunteering among 16-25s. When this age group were asked in a survey if they liked the idea of volunteering, 66% of them said the term was off-putting. When asked if they’ve done someone a favour outside their family or friends, 80% said they had. vinspired.com’s aim is to show people that volunteering is as easy and accessible as doing someone a favour, by using language that 16-25s can relate to.
Read more about the campaign here.
