The Northside Youth Panel is made up of a diverse group of young individuals from across North London, who act as advocates for children and young people who otherwise would have no voice.
Who we are
Young people from across north London
Where we're based
When we started
Mar-10
How we started
Northside Youths & Community Connections CIC is a youth led organization that was first established as a Community Group in December of 2008. First on the agenda was the Northside Youth Panel, established in March of 2010. The panel is made up of a diverse group of young individual's from across North London, who acts as advocates for children and young people who otherwise would have no voice. The Northside Youth Club was unofficially opened in May of 2010, officially on July 23rd 2010
Our work
The Northside Youth Panel was created to help more young people take on leadership roles in their community, and to ensure that young voices are heard. It is made up of a diverse group of young individual's from across North London, age 11-20, and up 25 where there are learning difficulties. These individuals act as advocates for children and young people who otherwise would have no voice. The members of the original group will continue to play the key roles in the projects development. Some will eventually be made board members, and others will serve as volunteers within the Northside Youth Club, sharing and learning new skills, because it is important that all young people develop the skills needed to participate and succeed at all levels. It was established from the outset that the young people will always take the lead in the projects that we develop at Northside Youths & Community Connections (NYCC), thus developing their initiative, enterprise and creativity. They will participate directly in the activities which they will initiate, set up and carry out. We encourage all of our members to get actively involved with community activities, either as individuals or together as a group, because they may benefit from enhanced skills, increased self esteem and confidence as a result of making a structured commitment to volunteering a few hours per week. We will create more opportunities for young people to influence the decisions that affect them. The activities we engage in are developed by young people, for young people. It is our intention to give children and young people the opportunity to develop work related skills, participate in work related learning experiences, and increase social inclusion and community participation. The focus of all our youth panel meetings has been and always will be on improving outcomes for the children and young people in the borough, so each project we develop at NYCC to benefit them is created with their full participation. We work closely with them to make sure their needs are met, and their voices heard. We ensure that they work and play in a safe environment. The Northside Youth Panel was a great start for us. We do our best to make sure our young panel members feel like they are part of a team. They get the opportunity through team building, social and celebration events to get to know each other better. Our members are willing to challenge and inspire each other to extend beyond their cultural differences to create a group united by values and respect.
Future plans
NYCC has the potential to become one of the more successful youth development opportunities in the area. We're a lot smaller than most, which enables us to be a little more hands on with the young people we work with. We will continue doing our best to improve outcomes for children and young people by enabling them to enjoy wider opportunities through out-of-school learning activities, and making sure they get the opportunity to develop work related skills and participate in work related learning experiences to better inform their future vocational choices.
