As part of the Carnegie Young People Initiative’s exit strategy, we are hosting a series of UK wide seminars, focusing on the challenges for the future of participation. These seminars will focus on the four themes that have shaped our phase three programme of work
- Impact and benefits
- Sharing good practice
- Organisational Change
- Education and Democracy
We are holding a series of seminars to be held in each of the jurisdictions that we work and a sixth event exclusively for young activists.
By addressing future challenges, the seminars will debate how we embed participation; how we sustain the agenda; what the gaps are in our understanding; and who needs to be involved. A key purpose of this series is to inform the Initiative’s final report, which will report on policy development, reflect on what we have achieved and make further recommendations.
Topic for discussion will include:
- Scaling up innovation
- Mainstreaming
- Widening participation
- Weighing up costs of and benefits
- Networks and alliances
- Partnerships and collaborations
- Democratic participation
- Leadership
- Social enterprise
- Modernisation
The seminars are by invitation only and include senior civil servants and policy advisors, service directors and directors of NGOs, journalists, politicians and academics.
Scotland Seminar
Our first seminar was held at the Glasshouse in Edinburgh on 27th June 2006. Chaired by Ken MacDonald, Special Correspondent, BBC Newsnight. Speakers included; Kathleen Marshall, Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner; Kay Hampton, Deputy Chair, Commission for Racial Equality; Keir Bloomer, Chief Executive, Clackmannanshire Council and
Jim McCormick, Director, Scottish Council Foundation.
Young People’s Seminar
Our second seminar was held at the Living Space in London on 23rd September 2006. The interactive session brought together a diverse range of twenty young activists to discuss, debate and explore the future of participation.
To download notes from the day click here
Wales Seminar
Our third seminar was held at City Hall in Cardiff on 4th October 2006. Chaired by Jason Mohammad BBC Wales. Speakers included; Jane Davidson, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning; Adele Baumgardt, Director of Policy and Partnerships, Equal Opportunities Commission; Dr Nigel Thomas, University of Swansea and Jayne Isaac, Public Policy Officer, NCH Wales.
Irish Seminar
Our fourth seminar was held at Morgan Hotel in Dublin on October 23rd 2006. Chaired by broadcaster and historian John Bowman. Speakers included: Mary Davis, Chair of the Taskforce on Active Citizenship; Mary Doyle Assistant Secretary in the Economic and Social Policy Division in the Department of the Taoiseach; Emily Logan is the Ombudsman for Children and Dr Maurice Devlin is a lecturer in the Department of Applied Social Studies at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.
Northern Ireland
Our fifth seminar will be held on February 2nd and will be chaired by Professor John Pinkerton of Queens University, Belfast. Panel members include the new Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People Patricia Lewsley; Ruth Sinclair of the National Children’s Bureau, Northern Ireland; Frances McCandless, Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action and Paula Keenan, Chair of the Northern Ireland Participation Network.
For more information, contact Raji