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Buckinghamshire Youth Service
Post-16 Citizenship activity at Buckinghamshire Youth Service
In Buckinghamshire for the past two years we have been engaging young people in an Intergeneration Project. This was piloted in the north area of the county and involved young people working with the youth service to develop awareness of the needs of older people. There had been some conflict in the area between young people and pensioners, such as not respecting their property, so it was thought that some way of getting to know and respect each other could help to resolve disputes.
The project was initially developed using the context of World War 2 and how this has shaped and influenced our community. A relationship was built with older people’s services, e.g. the British Legion, who supported the youth service in making links with older people and funding some of the work.
The young people spent time getting to know the veterans and listening to their life-stories. These veterans accompanied them on visits to the Imperial War Museum and Dalton Barracks Army base, and shared with them their experiences of the war. This led to a trip to France to the Normandy beaches. The veterans were able to re-live their war experiences and explain the exhibits on the beaches and in the museum.
From a citizenship perspective, a major outcome of the project was the production of a DVD resource which can be used with both older and young people as a learning aid. A great deal was learnt by young people about their community and how they can contribute by building positive relationships with older people in their community. The young people in the project have not only learnt to respect the life-experiences of an older generation and the sacrifices that they made, but they have learnt how to talk to them, how to engage with them. The DVD demonstrates to young people the opportunities open for them to contribute to and participate in their community, by sharing time with an older generation. For older people it is a great resource to promote discussion about their fears of young people and enabling them to see young people in a positive and receptive light.
As a result of this project, the young people now “look out for” the older people in their community and are engaged in awareness-raising activities that help to protect them against other young people who might otherwise still behave badly towards older people. They now also act as mentors to those who are new to the project, and teach them about what an older generation did to keep Britain free from Nazism and dictatorship.
The Intergenerational work continues and is now operating countywide. The project is so popular that young people are required to apply for places. The project has developed its brief and now incorporates Conflict, Resolution and Reconstruction as its running themes.
Other citizenship aspects which could be woven into a project like this could be exploration of policy issues that affect older people, for example about standards of care for the elderly or discussion of other local or national social and political issues that affect both young and old with opportunties for appropriate follow up action e.g. the results of a survey on such an issue conducted by young people being presented to those with the power to have an impact on the issue. The historical context of war used as a starting point for this project could also have been used as a platform for exploration of modern conflicts such as the Iraq war.
Citizenship coordinator's top tips for setting up post-16 citizenship activity:
- Young People focused: ensure that the programme and process that you wish to develop is not solely about ticking the boxes of funders but reflects a need and desires of young people. It is possible to find ways to create interest in citizenship if it is developed from a young person's perspective
- Record everything: so often learning opportunities arise and unless they are recorded they can be lost. Using DVD and photos is a great way to capture moments that you can use for learning at a later date.
- Look around for partners: incorporating a wide range of partners will allow you to access more resources and funding streams.
- Multiple targets: by linking the work that you are developing to a wide range of targets and outcomes can enable you to promote the work in a variety of contexts. This will bring support and funding to the project enabling you to deliver to a wide appeal.
How this organisation could help you: We would be more than happy to discuss and share with other organisations wanting to establish a similar project. We have copies of the DVDs which can be provided at a small cost. We would also be prepared to visit organisations and speak about the work we have developed, although we would need expenses to be met.
Contact information
Name of citizenship coordinator: Jacqui Tully
Citizenship coordinator’s telephone:
01494 452226
Citizenship coordinator’s email:
jtully@buckscc.gov.uk
Organisation website:
www.buckscc.gov.uk/youth
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