Parkrun one of hundreds of activities for young people this summer

click to download list of events

click to download list of events

York’s new Knavesmire junior parkrun is one of the hundreds of workshops, courses, events, clubs and activities featured in the Summer2016 edition of Shine magazine which is celebrating its tenth year

Most of the Shine programme activities are scheduled for the school summer holidays, but for those who can’t wait to get started the Knavesmire junior parkrun starts this Sunday (3 July).

The parkrun is a free, timed two-kilometre run for children of all abilities aged from four to 14 years and is a perfect fit with the expansive programme of fitness activities and sports sessions planned for local young people.

Shine activities are aimed at those aged five to 18, together with their families. The programme offers accessible opportunities to enjoy a summer of activities to keep fit, explore new hobbies, learn exciting new skills such as movie making, and shares information on how to continue sport, play, arts and activities in parks and libraries beyond the end of the school holidays.

Cllr Keith Aspden, Deputy Leader of City of York Council with responsibility for Economic Development and Community Engagement said: “Over the last ten years Shine has grown to an exciting programme of activities for York’s young people, with something to appeal to all interests and abilities.

“The schedule, which includes sessions delivered by a wide range of partner organisations and volunteers, offers young people the chance to develop skills, make new friends and engage in new hobbies throughout the summer.”

Julie Mackenzie, Event Director of Knavesmire junior parkrun said: “We’re really looking forward to helping young people get outside, get active and have fun.”

The Knavesmire junior parkrun will take place every Sunday at 9am (with the exception of race days and other events). To take part children and young people must be registered with parkrun and have their unique bar-code with them. For more information visit www.parkrun.org.uk/knavesmire-juniors.

For more information about the Shine programme look out for the brochure from schools, pick up a copy from libraries or search online at www.yor-ok.org.uk/shine   

Steps to success event attracts big attendance at Knavesmire

City of York Council’s annual Steps to Success event proved to be a huge success with the event at York Racecourse welcoming over 2000 young people and parents looking for information and advice.

steps to successSteps to Success, held in partnership with York St John University and The University of York, was held on Tuesday 20 October with the aim of providing attendees with information on education and training options, as well as career routes.

The event housed 58 stands at the racecourse providing a wealth of information on Sixth Forms, Colleges, Universities, Apprenticeship Training Providers, Employers and other Support Services.

Running throughout the evening was a rolling programme of presentations including; Options for Key Stage 4 and Beyond, Options for Post 16 Education and Training, Apprenticeships, Progression to Higher Education and Future Job Opportunities.

Anyone parents or young people unable to attend the event who would like a copy of the parents’ guides or more information from the event please contact Beverley Wills on beverley.wills@york.gov.uk or call 01904 553008

 

Teenagers job and training fair at Knavesmire on 20th October.

Job-Search-AppsCity of York Council’s annual Steps to Success event is back at York Racecourse on Tuesday 20 October.

Held in the Knavesmire Stand from 3.30pm until 8.00pm, the event will provide information about the range of education and training opportunities available (including apprenticeships and other work based training).

The event looks to support young people in the city as they consider their options for Key Stage 4 and Post-16 education, training or employment, particularly as all current year 11 pupils now have to remain in training or education until the age of 18.

Young people will be able to access information from five different information zones at the session; Key Stage 4, Post-16, Progression to Higher Education, Career Pathways and Support Services, as well as the opportunity to hear about the experiences of current learners.

Attendees will also be able to view a series of presentations of around 15 minutes offering advice on Options for Key Stage 4 and Beyond, Options for Post 16 Education and Training, apprenticeships, Progression to Higher Education and Future Job Opportunities will run throughout the event.

Councillor Jenny Brooks, Executive member for Education, Children and Young People said: “This popular annual event provides young people and their parents and carers with information and advice about their options for the future. As a council we are committed to supporting young people across the city and helping them meet their aspirations. Through work with a range of schools, employers, training providers and universities, Steps to Success looks to offer the opportunity for young people to consider their next steps as well as the longer term progression routes and higher education options that are available to young people.”

City of York Council has worked in partnership with the University of York and York St John University to stage the event, as part of its commitment to widening participation in Higher Education.

For any additional information please contact Beverley Wills, 14-19 Support Adviser, City of York Council on 01904 553008 or beverley.wills@york.gov.uk .

York teenagers survival guide published

The latest edition of the Young People’s Survival Guide to York has just been published ready for the academic year ahead.Teenagers suvival guide 2016

This pocket-sized guide – also available online at http://www.yorksurvivalguide.co.uk/ – lists places to go to and people to contact for help and advice, and is aimed at people aged 16-25 in York although it could help anyone.

It’s got clear and up-to-date facts and hints from how old a babysitter should be to where to go if you are have to leave home. Who to talk to about feeling anxious? How to claim Universal Credit? Where to look for volunteering opportunities? How to open a bank account? Find out about local courses or the minimum wage – the Young People’s Survival Guide to York has it covered.

Split into different sections covering rights, health – including mental health – relationships, parenting, housing, money, learning and working and so on, it has a directory at the back of local and national agencies.

The guide is published by a local charity, York Action on Young Homeless, and produced in partnership with Castlegate, part of City of York Council’s support and advice services for young people.

“It is given out free to young people in York each year through lots of local organisations including schools, housing workers, youth workers and GP surgeries. Do pick up yours.”

To pick up a free copy, call in to Castlegate, 29 Castlegate, York YO1 9RN on Monday to Thursday 1- 5pm and Friday 1- 4.30pm.

York Police act to prevent school holiday nuisance

A major new partnership operation in York will support vulnerable young people and clamp down on anti-social behaviour this summer holiday.

anti social behavior

Throughout the summer, Operation Liberate will see police joining forces with partner organisations to target areas where anti-social behaviour has been an issue in the past.

High-visibility patrols by officers, PCSOs and Special Constables will assess these areas and deal with any groups of young people. The operation is aimed to keep young people themselves feeling and being safe, providing them with constructive help and support.

Where appropriate, young people will be passed on to partner agencies and given the chance to discuss any issues they may have.  Meanwhile, parents will be contacted by the Youth Offending Team, who will provide them with relevant support and advice, and ask them to collect their child.

Operation Liberate is the first time such a large-scale initiative has been undertaken by North Yorkshire Police, and sees officers work closely with the Youth Offending Team, City of York Council, Lifeline, the Bridge House Sexual Assault Referral Centre, the NHS, the Rock Church, the Jack Raine Foundation and others.
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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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click for more

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!”

Animated video warns young drivers about fraudsters selling fake car insurance

An animated video warning young motorists about being ripped off by fraudsters selling fake car insurance has been launched as part of a national awareness raising campaign.

Real deal

The police and insurance industry are increasingly concerned about so-called ‘ghost brokers’ who particularly target young men with fake motor insurance policies, and have teamed up with crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers in an effort to stop people falling victim to this fraud.

Over 27.6 million vehicles were insured across the UK last year, providing ghost brokers with a huge production line of potential victims seeking the cheapest deals.

Ghost brokers prey on those paying the highest premiums (new young drivers, mostly men) by offering ‘cheap’ deals online and in person by the roadside, in restaurants and cafes and even on university campuses.
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York Youth Council Recruitment Drive

York Youth Council is a fantastic opportunity for all young people aged 11-18, providing a real chance for young people to have their voices on heard on issues that are important to them.

Over the last year, YYC have successfully campaigned to extend the YoZone Card from 16 to 18, allowing students to travel cheaply. They also worked hard to secure an all York Ticket so that all young people can travel on any bus in York, all day, for just £1.60.

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Suddenly we are awash with “All York” bus ticket sales information

The Council has issued a statement saying that 12,000 “All York” teenagers’ bus tickets were sold during August.

For 12 months the Council and bus companies resisted providing any information on sales figures.

When eventually they were forced to publish them, it was revealed that sales of the taxpayer subsidised “All York” tickets were only 25% of forecast levels.

The young persons travel tickets were designed to provide cheaper fares for teenagers during the schools holidays.

children-summer-bus-tickets

The £1-30 a day tickets were a worthy project in principle which bus companies should have been happy to fund. The extra revenue, won by filling empty seats, would have more than covered their costs

However, the York Council chose to offer a 20p per journey taxpayers subsidy.

So that’s around £2,400 taxpayers have had to fork out in just 1 month for a scheme that has netted bus companies around £15,000.

One bus operator is claiming that the August sales represent a 500% increase over the previous year. Given that there wasn’t an ”All York” teenagers ticket available last year then that seems to be a spurious claim.

If the announcement heralds a more open approach by the Council to the provision of information about local bus services then that is to be welcomed.

We look forward to seeing details of service reliability published on a regular basis.

Council reject teenagers “ride around for £1” bus fare plea, but First to introduce new student discounts from Sunday.

The York Council is set to reject a petition from local young people who had hoped that the flat £1 “go anywhere” fare available in parts of North Yorkshire would be extended to York.

Bus

In May 2013, an 11-16 year old variant of the go anywhere ‘All York’ the ticket was introduced but it was priced at £2.30.

First announce fare cuts for young people – New ticket offers are available for children, young people and students from this Sunday 1 September.

New price list

Child tickets (with an 11-16 YOzone card)

• 80p single and £1.10 return ticket prices frozen

• Day ticket reduced from £2.10 to £2

• Week ticket reduced from £8.50 to £7

• 4-week ticket reduced from £31.50 to £25 (available at PayPoint outlets)

Young People tickets (with a 16-18 YOzone card)

• New maximum single of £1.30 (unless the adult single is lower than that, in which case the lower price applies)

• New day ticket at £3

• New week ticket at £10

Student tickets (University & College)

• New day ticket at £3

• New week ticket at £10

• Term products frozen and now available to college students as well as those at University Valid University Student card or NUS card required.

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