April Youth Council
In April, the Youth Council recorded their meeting as a way to share their ideas and discussions. With the main studio mic-ed up and ready, to go we started the session by sharing the positive news that local community voices have driven change and helped sign off the new MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) which is being built on Filwood Fields.
This recent example of local voices being turned into action excited the committee and we spent some time mind mapping other changes we would like to see in Filwood. Some examples the young people came up with were: a bakery, a craft shop and a cafe where you can adopt animals.
A young person raised the matter of local concern in the last session about the proposed 5G mast that is being built in Redcatch Park. The group decided to investigate further and we did some self-led research. They searched the internet for stats, facts and forums before gathering information and reporting back.
We discussed the power of protesting and the young people decided on short snappy slogans to capture their beliefs about the mast. Examples were turned into placards which we later laser cut at KWMC.
The rest of the session was spent thinking about some internal development within KWMC. The training rooms are undergoing a makeover so we went on a recce to check out the space and the young people shared their ideas about how we could change the space to suit their needs during Jump Studio sessions.
After discussing plans as a group the team learnt how to use 3D design software; TinkerCAD to digitally design their ideal training room layout. The young people came up with some innovative ideas and supported them with advanced technical 3D designs.
May Youth Council
Our May Youth Council session landed on the local referendum voting day. The main studio of KWMC was being used as a polling station so we created a mini polling station upstairs in the Western Room where the committee were given faux polling cards and were asked to vote on the real-life referendum.
100% of the group voted that Bristol City Council should be run by 70 people as opposed to it being run by 1 mayor like it is at the moment. The young people discussed the pro’s and con’s of their democratic vote;
Pro’s of the Council being ran by 70 people:
- Wanting something new
- Different ideas
- Different brain cells
- What if the mayor’s idea isn’t what the people want
- Different agreements
- Compromising and mixing different ideas together
- Think more about the community around Bristol
- Hold each other accountable for their actions
- Realising the risks that 1 person might not think about
- Democracy
Cons;
- Some people might disagree, it could cause arguments
The young people then went on to discuss the legal age to vote. They were advocating that the law should change so that when young people reach Key Stage 4 at the age of 14 they should be allowed to vote. They believe there should be more information on the voting system at schools, in museums, and on the Tuesday night TV programme, ‘News Round’. Conversations emerged about the history of women’s ability to vote and the young people shared information they had about this topic.
The young people spent the rest of the session thinking about their personal KWMC stories; how they first got involved with KWMC and how their journey has grown and developed. This was an opportunity for them to reflect on the impact KWMC has had on their lives and how they would like to stay connected in the future and help mould future projects.
To find out more about the Youth Council please contact jumpstudios@kwmc.org.uk