Wotton-under-Edge
The Voice of Wotton Youth
This Local Youth Forum Group meets on average every 2 weeks, as follows:
Day: TBC
Time: TBC
Venue: Wotton Youth Centre
Contact: steve.miles@stroud.gov.uk / 07896 690140
The following young people are SDYC representatives for Wotton Youth Forum:
Vacant (Voting)
Vacant (Voting)
How we were created…a quick bit of history!
Wotton Youth Forum group became established in 2010, it was the second local youth forum group to be created in the Stroud district. This was another product from the partnership between youth workers from Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council.
Meetings were held regularly at the Wotton Youth Centre situated then in the town, off The Rope Walk. This venue was one of two owned by Gloucestershire County Council in the district that were dedicated to youth work (the other in Stroud Town). However, this was to change over the next few years, as the county council youth service demised and the building that had undergone a refurbishment only a few years before, was set to be closed and sold off!
In a similar way to Cam and Dursley Youth Forum, the challenge of bringing the need for dedicated youth centre buildings to the attention of adult decision-makers was paramount. Wotton Youth Forum’s first big project was to ensure the voice of young people locally was heard during the process of the biggest change to youth services in many decades – whilst the highly regarded youth centre, which had been home to the Stroud Rural Youth Project and its Phillip Lawrence Award 2004 winning Peer Education Project, ultimately closed, it sprung a passion amongst young people in Wotton under Edge and surrounding areas, to have a voice and be heard.
Ensuring they were heard through social action projects, Wotton Youth Forum searched the local area for potential new youth centre venues and became the go-to consultees to find a new base for young people.
The group were acknowledged as an important part of a new youth centre becoming established at the old Police Station in The Chipping from 2012 onwards. Under direction from the Town Council, conversion work was undertaken and the youth forum group were actively involved in the internal design layout and fittings.
Who We Are
Stemming from our roots and like the other local youth forum groups in the Stroud district, we enable young people from the aforementioned local community and surrounding areas, to come together and have a say on issues of concern to all young people between 11 and 18 years. We work on influencing changes and supporting local projects to benefit young people – we believe young people and adults can work together in which to create positive change.
As with the other local youth forum groups in the Stroud district regarding their communities, we are constantly looking for the views and opinions of all young people that either live in or visit Wotton under Edge and the surrounding areas that we represent.
We are a friendly group, that meet on average every two weeks – if you would like to join us, we would love to have you on board…please get in touch (see contact details or click here).
We are supported by the youth work team at Stroud District Council.
Our Projects
Our work over the last few years has focused on mental health challenges for young people, as well as highlighting the need for a safe route to and from the town, when walking to either Katharine Lady Berkeley School or the Skate Park off the New Road site owned by Wotton Community Sports Foundation.
We’ve also held music events in the community hall of Under the Edge Arts, to encourage teenagers to recognise, access and support this local venue.
Our relationship with Wotton Town Council includes helping them with commissioning general youth work provision, mainly at the youth centre.
We are now planning our programme of action for the year ahead, why not come and join us!?
If you don’t want to join but you’ve got something you’d like the group to discuss or work towards you can let us know here.
All our Local Youth Forum Groups offer you the opportunity to become a Youth Voice Representative on the Stroud District Youth Council, you can find out more here.