Welcome to the third Manifesto for the young people of Cornwall. The past two Manifestos’ for Cornwall have been very successful and we hope that this will be no exception. The two previous Manifesto’s have reached recognition locally, countywide and nationally.

The decision to re-write the new Manifesto comes from the ever developing environment that young people are living in. With the last Manifesto being produced in 2005, the issues affecting young people have developed and changed. Whilst we anticipate that some issues may resurface during the consultation, we will be looking at the new issues with great interest.

This new Manifesto will be the largest piece of consultation work undertaken by the Cornwall Youth Forum to date. This is to ensure that the new Manifesto is as representative as possible and withholds scrutiny. 

We are encouraging every young person to take part in this project to ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to have their voice heard. This project is not about recovering old ground, but instead looking forward about what can be done about the issues.

The work that is produced from this Manifesto will feed directly into the Children’s Trust Plan of 2011, ensuring that young people have a strong voice in this strategic document.

The project will take part in three essential phases:

1.Consultation I – Questionnaire Research - Engage as many young people as possible to share their views on the issues that affect them and how they affect them.

2.Consultation II – Focus Groups – Dialogue with groups of young people to talk through the issues, discovering root causes and trying to find solutions.

3.Collation of Data – Brining together both sets of data and producing the Manifesto.

The Manifesto will be written and steered by young people for young people, ensuring that it is a truly representative document.

This work has been commissioned by the Children’s Trust Support Team in partnership with Youth Cornwall and fits directly into the work of Strategic Priority One.

The project will be taking place in a very short space of time. Any assistance by external agencies or partners would much be appreciated.

If you have any enquires about the Manifesto then please do not hesitate to contact David Callaghan on dcallaghan@cornwall.gov.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are you updating the 2005 Manifesto?

In just the space of a few years, the issues and problems affecting young people have changed so dramatically that a new manifesto is needed to illustrate these changes. We expect that some issues will be remaining in the Manifesto because they still need to be examined, such as public transport. Moreover, there have been achievements by the Cornwall Youth Forum allowing some issues to be examined and in some cases solutions found.

How are you going to inform young people about the project?

We are going to be contacting Schools, Youth Groups/Projects and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) in order to try and reach as many young people as possible. Not only this but we will also be promoting the project through our partners at the Children’s Trust, Youth Cornwall and Cornwall Council and seeking a high media presence to let every young person know how to get involved.

Will anything really change after this?

When the Manifesto is published, it will be endorsed by the Children’s Trust and will feed directly into the Children’s Trust Plan of 2011. Due to this influence, the document will have a high strategic importance and allow the voices of young people to be heard within the Trust and the wider Cornwall Council. Therefore, young people will have their issues taken forward and solutions will hopefully be found.

Why should I get involved? (Young Person)

By being involved in the Manifesto project you will have the opportunity to have your voice heard. You will be given the opportunity to put forward the issues that affect you and say how you would like them solved, This will hopefully be the largest piece of consultation across Cornwall, just for young people, and you will have made a difference by giving your views.

Why should I get involved? (Organisation/School)

If you are an organisation that works with young people then this is a fantastic opportunity for those young people to have their voices heard. Any organisation or school involved in the project will be acknowledged in the Manifesto and there will be a huge thanks from the Manifesto group. If you are a interested, then this is a great opportunity to get young people involved in participation.

Who is involved in the project?

There is a Young People Steering Group drawn from the Cornwall Youth Forum involving Members of Youth Parliament, this group are all aged 11-19. A project co-ordinator is employed to ensure that the project is moving forward, funded by the Children’s Trust, and again is a young person. Also Youth Cornwall’s Youth Participation & Democracy worker is involved in the project as a Youth Worker to ensure that young people are supported in carrying out the consultation.

How do you choose your themes?

After consulting with young people we will have a wide range of issues. From these we will then group similar issues so that we can bring them together when trying to find solutions. An example would be Crime, Youth Offenders and Victims of Crime becoming grouped as Youth Justice.

How do you make sure that the Manifesto is representative of young people?

It is the job of everyone involved the Manifesto project to make sure that the project is involving all young people. Anyone aged 11-19 is welcome to participate in the project and have their voice heard. Where issues of accessibility become apparent, we will work with all partners to ensure that young people can be involved. This support will extend from a rural issue to access of a questionnaire.