“Shine” activities make summer fun for young people in York

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 Children, young people and their families are enjoying a summer of fun holiday activities, with an amazing 29,900 activity places available as part of the council co-ordinated Shine programme.

Shine is an exciting programme of events aimed at five to 18 year olds which runs thanks to a large number of organisers including the council, sports organisations, independent activity providers and local attractions. Many of the activities are free and booking in advance is not always necessary, offering a boredom-free summer throughout the city!

This year Shine includes over 190 different activities throughout the summer, offering all the favourite arts, sports, play sessions, parks and libraries activities.

  • Some of the more unusual events include designing a remote controlled robot or a joystick game and those with a sense of adventure can enjoy activities such as kayaking, outdoor climbing, wild camping and bushcraft skills.
  • Theatre, art, mosaics, dance, sewing and junk drumming with Trashbang are some of the arts activities helping to develop young creative skills, whilst sports activities from Total Sports,
  • York Knights Foundation and City of York Athletics are keeping fitness levels up throughout the summer.
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Yorks children’s plan to be updated

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A new Children and Young People’s Plan is currently being developed by City of York Council for 2016-2019 to set the direction for everyone working to improve the lives of children and young people.

As with previous Plans – the most recent was launched in 2013 – the views of children, young people, families and people working with and for children are a crucial element in deciding the new Plan’s priorities.

The council is asking all those affected by the new Plan to share their thoughts. This can be done via a 10-minute, anonymous online survey atwww.yor-ok.org.uk/haveyoursay.  At the end of the survey, participants can choose to enter into a prize draw for one of two £50 high street vouchers as thanks for taking part.

Young people are also invited to get involved by applying to join a group of young researchers. These young people aged16 years old and over are being recruited for six to eight weeks from the beginning of July. The young researchers will be trained, rewarded for their attendance and learn valuable skills. Please contact Tess Ellis on 01904 551249 or email: tess.ellis@york.gov.uk for more details.

Cllr Jenny Brooks, Executive Member for Education, Children and Young People, said: ““The success of previous Plans has lain in part in having been shaped by the people it will affect. I’d urge all children and young people and those who care for or work with them to have their say now about what matters to them and how we can make York the best place in which to live and grow up.”

The consultation will be open until 31 August and the new Children and Young People’s Plan it will help draw up will be launched in the new year.

York parents to get child sexual abuse and exploitation information

Parents and carers of children in York will get information and advice about how to spot signs of child sexual exploitation and abuse this month as part of a citywide awareness raising campaign.

Parents of pupils in year 6 (10-11 years old) will receive a letter and wallet-sized information card about the It’s not ok campaign, which was launched in May.

The campaign, which is run by City of York Safeguarding Children Board (a group of organisations in York which help support children and young people, including City of York Council, North Yorkshire Police and health partners) and the NSPCC, aims to raise awareness of child sexual abuse and exploitation amongst young people, parents and carers, childcare and safeguarding professionals, and the general public.

The year-long campaign, the first of its type for the NSPCC in England, has four distinct phases, with each targeting a different audience. Information, resources and campaign materials will all be available in one place – the new sexual abuse and sexual exploitation website for York: www.itsnotokay-york.org.uk

Simon Westwood, Chair of the CYSCB/Dot Evansfrom the City of York Safeguarding Children Board, said: “Unfortunately sexual abuse and exploitation can happen anywhere and to anyone. By writing directly to parents and carers we hope that we can raise awareness about the issue, helping to protect their child or children. The website has a wide range of resources to help parents spot the signs of potential abuse, as well as providing support to anyone who has been abused.”

Helen Westerman, NSPCC campaigns manager, said: “It’s great to be working with City of York Safeguarding Children Board on this campaign. We know how difficult it can be to speak out about sexual abuse and exploitation and we hope that this campaign provides a voice to children and young people living in abusive situations.”

School holiday activities programme launched by York Police

North Yorkshire Police have officially launched the Lifestyle Challenge 2015.

North Yorkshire Police Lifestyle Challenge Awards 2014

Now in its third year, the competition runs over the summer holidays and aims to give young people aged 10 – 17 a positive project to do over the long break, giving them the opportunity to improve the quality of life in their community.

The teams have to think of a project that they can carry out over the summer holidays that is of benefit to someone or something in the community. They then have until the start of September to work on their project, recording all they do in a log book provided by the police. The log books are then submitted for judging, with the winners attending a glittering awards ceremony in November to receive their prizes, which include PGL adventure holidays, mountain bikes and Kindle Fires.

Projects carried out in previous years include “5ICE” from Selby who cleared gardens in sheltered accommodation and then made and cited nesting boxes; “The Yorkies” who created an outside relaxation area at a local club for disabled youngsters and then raised funds to buy sports equipment; and “Bogus Babes” from Stokesley who launched an anti-crime initiative to warn people about bogus doorstep callers.

Teams wanting to take part can register online at www.northyorkshire.police.uk/lifestyle. They will be sent a registration pack, including a log book to record all their work, a handbook with lots of help and advice, and Company Challenges. These are sponsored by local businesses and agencies and are full of ideas for projects in case the teams are a bit stuck. The first 100 young people to register also receive a limited edition Lifestyle 2015 t-shirt.

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PC Suzanne Asquith, Youth Engagement Officer at North Yorkshire Police, said: “2015 is going to be a fantastic year for Lifestyle. We have got a lot of exciting challenges from our community safety partners and local NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups as well as Hiscox, Shepherd Group and Virgin Trains East Coast. I am also very pleased that this year York City Football Club Foundation have joined us with a brilliant sporting challenge.”

This year a new category has been introduced so entire youth groups or uniformed organisations such as Guides or Scouts can take part. Teams in the Youth Group Division can win a monetary prize to be spent by the group on whatever equipment or activities they like.

PC Asquith added: “The Lifestyle Challenge benefits so many people. Young people can be recognised as having made a positive contribution to their neighbourhood, while the community benefits from new play equipment, cleaner green spaces, conservation areas, family fun days or crime reduction projects.

“It’s a great way to spend the summer and can bring some amazing results. We are very fortunate in being able to hold our awards ceremony once again at York Racecourse and I am looking forward to seeing what the teams come up with this year!”

York children urge to “shake up” fitness regime

Following the success of last year, City of York Council is again supporting the 10 Minute Shake Up campaign launched by Change4Life and Disney, to help encourage the city’s children to get active.

10 minute shake up

The 10 Minute Shake Up campaign uses a bit of Disney magic to inspire children to reach the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day, with fun, manageable 10 minute bursts of exercise.

This year, 10 Minute Shake Up has lots of new and exciting 10 minute games and activities for children to play as part of four Disney teams: Big Hero 6, Frozen, Monsters and Toy Story. Children can help their chosen Disney team win by taking part in as many Shake Ups as they can each day throughout the summer. Every 10 minute burst of activity can make a real difference and helps towards children getting the 60 minutes they need each day.

Those who sign up for 10 Minute Shake Up will receive a free pack containing inspiration, ideas and tools to help children on their way to achieving their recommended 60 minutes of activity per day.  Packs include a fantastic team wristband* with timer, activity cards, a wild card for children to invent their own Shake Ups, a team poster and stickers.   

*while stocks last

Councillor Carol Runciman, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health said: “This is a fantastic initiative to encourage children and families to get active. Increased physical activity can lead to better academic achievement, with improved attention span, behaviour and self-confidence. I would encourage people across the city to sign up”.

City of York Council’s Acting Director of Health and Wellbeing, Julie Hotchkiss said: “In children physical activity is essential for mental and emotional health as well as physical health and a reduced risk of developing chronic conditions in the future.”
To sign up visit Change4Life and register for a free pack which is full of ideas for games and activities to keep your children active this summer.

York children urged to change travel modes

STAR

 City of York Council has introduced the new Modeshift STARS (Sustainable Travel Accreditation and Roadsafety for Schools) scheme.

The scheme aims to encourage pupils, parents and staff to travel to and from school using sustainable travel.

The Modeshift STARS scheme is an on-line tool showcasing green travel options that also recognises schools that are working hard not only to encourage parents and staff  to travel to school more sustainably but use sustainable transport as part of their curriculum activities.

The aim of the project is to increase the number of people walking and cycling to school, and reducing congestion during the school run making it safer for everyone.

Mode shift starsSchools taking part in Modeshift STARS work towards a national award which recognises the continuing efforts a school makes to increase sustainable travel by the whole school community.

Jonathan Green, Head Teacher for Archbishop of York Junior school said: “Modeshift STARS has brought our whole school community together. It is a brilliant scheme that has encourages us to really look positively at how we travel to school and how we take responsibility for our village.”

For more information on Modeshift STARS visit http://www.itravelyork.info/for-schools/travel-planning/stars. For more information on sustainable travel in York visit www.itravelyork.info

Drop in child poverty in York

Public Health England has this week released Child Health Profiles for City of York Council, which provide a snapshot of child health in the city.

Child Labour

Fewer children living in poverty

The key findings from the report show that the health and wellbeing of children in York is generally better than the England average and that children and young people under the age of 20 make up 21.7% of the city’s population.

The profiles help City of York Council to work in partnership to improve health in the local area. The profiles contain data on a wide range of issues about and affecting child health, from levels of childhood obesity, MMR immunisation rates, teenage pregnancy and underage drinking, to hospital admissions and levels of child poverty. Each profile provides two types of information: background demographic information about the children in each area; and comparative analysis with other local authorities across the country.

The data shows that in 2013 there were 2045 live births in York, which saw the number of children in the city aged between 0 and 4 remain at 10,700 and the number of children aged 0 to 19 increase to 44,000.  The findings project the number of children in York aged 0 to 19 by 2020 will be 44,900.

According to the child population section the life expectancy at birth of boys and girls in York is 79.4 and 83.5 respectively.   The regional figures for Yorkshire and Humber are 78.5 and 82.2 and nationally 79.4 and 83.1 putting York above the regional and national average.

The level of child poverty in York is better than the England average with 11.7% of children aged under 16 living in poverty, a fall of 1.4% since the last Child Health Profiles data was released.
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New IT system in York will benefit disadvantaged children

A new IT system will put children at its heart while freeing social workers to spend even more time with young people and their families.

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The new MOSAIC system for City of York Council’s Children’s Services is a state-of-the-art system which will map the work being done with over 1,000 of the most vulnerable children and their families in the city, to ensure that they are given the right help at the right time to improve their life chances.

It will have a secure online portal which will allow parents, carers and the children and young people themselves to participate in the planning and review of the work being done to support them
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Family Information Service in York sets up social media groups

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 Virtual champions in York are inspiring Family Information Services (FIS) across the UK to follow their lead, as more and more social media groups link up locally.

City of York Council’s FIS has rolled out a new idea to work with volunteer parents to share relevant information through social media networks. This pilot has been showcased at the national Parent’s Champions Conference, as well as regional meetings and seminars and has been showcased by the Family and Childcare Trust as part of their social media toolkit. Currently, the idea has generated links between some 26,000 group members in York, significantly extending this statutory service’s reach.

These virtual champions – volunteer facebook group administrators – work with the FIS to get important messages out to the community. This includes news about free childcare for eligible two-year-olds, a new toy library or alerting parents and carers to a new campaign against child sexual exploitation or abuse.
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York Music Centre expands

A new weekend session for children and young people has been added by York Music Centre to its programme at Millthorpe School.

York Music Centre, run by York Arts Education and part of City of York Council, will offer a variety of choirs, ensembles, orchestras and tuition sessions each Saturday morning.

The session has moved from Canon Lee School and allows York Music Centre to consolidate provision with its Wednesday evening session at Millthorpe School from the end of February.

From Saturday 28 February, from 9.15am, York Music Centre will offer group music-making opportunities to children and young people aged 3 to 18 of all abilities.
These include top level ensembles such as Concert Band, Big Band and the Symphony Orchestra, entry level groups like Overture (for 3-5 year olds), WOW Band (for any instrumental beginners), Young Voices which helps develop singing and listening skills and World of Rhythm, run by Billy Hickling from the internationally acclaimed STOMP!
An adult choir is also available for parents and friends who don’t want to miss out on the fun.
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Family Information milestone in York as Labour plan cuts in children’s services

City of York Council’s award winning York Family Information Service (FIS) is celebrating 15 years of supporting families in York this year.

The milestone comes at a time when the Labour led Council is considering major cuts to children’s services including the popular children s centers. The scale of the reductions will be decided at a meeting next week.

Liberal Democrat Councillors will be opposing the cuts.

York FIS is a free and impartial information service for mums, dads and carers of children and young people aged 0-19 (or up to 25 for disabled children), providing help with family life.This ranges from childcare to toddler groups to youth clubs to support for a child with a disability.
The YorOK website provides advice about childcare, children’s centres, parenting, disabilities and additional needs and much more. It’s also possible to search the  directory which has information about groups or services that may be helpful to families in York.
If you’re a mum, dad or carer, and have a question but don’t know where to go, then call 01904 554444 or email fis@york.gov.uk or for a face-to-face chat visit the council’s West Offices.

For more information about York FIS visit http://www.yor-ok.org.uk/