Around 100 children and young people are expected to attend Walsall’s first ever youth summit at the Town Hall this week.
The Shaping My Tomorrow event will allow 9 to 25-year-olds the chance to have their say on decisions and services which affect them.
Youth organisations, providers of HAF (Holiday Activity and Food) programmes, staff from Walsall Council’s Children’s Services and the voluntary sector will also attend the summit on Wednesday 14 August to listen to children and young people’s ideas.
Councillor Stacie Elson, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People at Walsall Council, said: “The summit will be a great opportunity for us to continue the conversation with children and young people, so they can have direct inputs into how our services are shaped now and in the future.
“Earlier this year, the council spoke with over 500 children, young people and their families, as part of our Big Conversation, where they shared their views and feedback about what’s important to them, and what support they would like to see from us as a council, and other authorities.
“One of our priorities is ensuring the voice of children is heard loud and clear. Our young people have things to say, experiences to share, and it’s so important their voices are heard, listened to, and taken seriously, so they can feel hopeful and excited about their future – their views are a fundamental part of the borough’s We Are Walsall 2040 strategy.
“Growing up isn’t always easy or plain sailing, so we’re hoping the summit provides some inspiration for all those in the room, and young people will feel empowered to speak about things that matter to them.”
The summit has been inspired by the region-wide My Tomorrow campaign, which launched in May 2024 and aims to empower young people across the West Midlands.
My Tomorrow is youth-led, having been designed by 11 to 25 year-olds with help from the charity the Positive Youth Foundation.
My Tomorrow is being funded by the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) with backing from its partners, including charities, schools, West Midlands Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner, local government and children’s and youth offending services.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Simon Foster, who will attend the summit, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to shape the decisions and services which affect their lives.”
“The summit builds on detailed work already done by Walsall Council to understand the needs of their children and young people, and their commitment to ensuring young people’s voices are heard should be commended.”
“These kinds of events will now become more commonplace right across our region thanks to the youth-led My Tomorrow campaign, which aims to celebrate young people, challenge stereotypes which are holding them back in life and open doors for them to influence policy-makers.”
As part of the campaign, free resources have also been developed for youth organisations including toolkits and activity packs to enable professionals to put on workshops and carry out meaningful consultations with young people.
These will be available at the Walsall Youth Summit which will run from 11am until 3pm at Walsall Council, Town Hall, Darwall Street, Walsall, WS1 1TP.
They can also be downloaded from the West Midlands Violence Reduction Partnership website – www.westmidlands-vrp.org/mytomorrow
