Extending Entitlement
The Welsh Assembly Government wants every young person in Wales aged 11-25 to have the same rights or entitlements (things you are allowed/should have/gave a right to).
Rights come with responsibilities - for adults and for you as a young person. The things that the Assembly think you should be entitled to are opportunities and choice;
These are your 10 entitlements:
1. Your Rights
a. To learn what rights are and understand them.
Do you know what your rights are? There are lots of places where you can find information about your rights, some of which are listed below. Otherwise you can ask a youth worker in your area or contact INFO on (01978) 358900.
b. Make sure you are able to claim them and to understand and accept the responsibilities arising from them.
Once you have found out your rights you may not fully understand them. There are plenty of people who can help you make sense of them such as youth workers, teachers and information workers. Why not ask at your local youth centre about doing a project to help you and your friends make sense of their rights?
2. Being Heard
It is your right to have the opportunity to be involved in making decisions, planning and reviewing action that might affect you. Have a voice, having a choice even if you don't make the decision yourself. Your voice, your choice. Participation in decision making is very important for young people and in Wales there is a genuine commitment to ensuring young people have say. There are lots of ways to get involved in decision making and it doesn't have to be scary either! Contact your local youth forum, details of which are below or join your school council. If you don't say anything, nothing will be changed.
3. Feeling Good
To feel confident and feel good about yourself. There's lots to feeling good about yourself. It has got a lot to do with your self esteem and confidence. There are other things too that can help you feel good such as having a healthy diet and taking lots of exercise. Another way of feeling good about yourself is getting on well with others!
4. Education and Employment
a. To be able to learn about things that interest and affect you.
Getting the right Education is one of the most important things that you can do and in Wales there is a great opportunity to pick up learning at anytime! It doesn't matter whether you were good or not at school, you can always pick up something that you enjoy and contribute to your future. There are plenty of places that offer formal, non-formal and informal learning opportunities that include e-learning and distance learning courses. So go on and do it!
b. To enjoy the job that you do.
Work takes up a lot of your time so it is really important that you like the job. There are lots of ways to find the right job for you. You can make sure you have the right skills and attitude that employers are looking for and will help you get on. There are ways that you can present yourself in your cv, in the way you look and how you communicate with others. Just remember your future employer needs someone like you as much as you need them so make sure you understand each other and show that you can excel at your job given the right support.
c. To get involved in the activities that you enjoy including leisure, sporting, artistic, hobbies and cultural activities.
Educative activities can be very interesting, enjoyable and relaxing and can extend beyond anything formal. You have the right to take part in such activities and there are plenty of opportunities provided by the youth service and voluntary organisations. See the headings on the website for details.
5. Taking Part / Getting Involved
To be involved in volunteering and to be active in your community.
There are loads of ways young people can volunteer and get involved in community activities gaining skills, making friends and enjoying the experience. There are loads of organisations that can help you.
For further information or to request a ‘Young Persons Guide to Volunteering’ contact Wrexham Volunteer Centre at:
AVOW
21 Egerton Street
Wrexham
LL11 1ND
01978 312556 or email vb@avow.org
6. Being Individual
a. To be treated with respect and as an equal by everyone.
b. To be recognised for what you have to contribute and of your achievements.
c. To celebrate what you achieve
It is really important that you be yourself, to find out what you are about, what you believe in and what makes you tick. Why don't you put together a file/scrap - a kind of portfolio - with photos and description of all things that you take part in. You will be surprised on how much you do! Take a minute to be proud of your achievements.
7. Easy Access
Easy access in getting the best services, locally and nationally, that you should have someone available to help you find them. The aim of this website is to inform you of services both in the Wrexham area and nationally. To tell you what is going on, when, why and how! We are wanting you to reach your potential!
8. Health and Wellbeing
To lead a healthy life, both physically and emotionally. To be happy in life it helps you to be healthy and there are loads and loads of things that you can do to improve your health from eating a healthy balanced diet and taking lots of exercise through to relaxing and taking some time out to chill when you're feeling stressed!
9. Access to information and guidance
To be able to get information, advice and support on a wide range of issues that affect your life, as and when you need it. In an increasingly complex society it is vitally important that young people can access quality information and have appropriate support to deal with such information.
BETTER INFORMATION LEADS TO BETTER LIFE CHOICES
10. Safety and Security
To live in a safe, secure home and community. It is important to have a safe place to live, a home that feels secure and a community that is the same. In other parts of the world this is not the case - in Wales it is your entitlement as a young person. There are lots of ways in which we can all help to make our environments safer and more secure. We can learn to get on with our families, friends, neighbours and even enemies! Of course we can stick to our own points of view but remember and respect the fact that others are entitled to theirs even if we do not agree with them. We can help to ensure that all people are law abiding by reporting crimes when we see them happening. We can help in local community activities and take pride in where we live.
With thanks to Canllaw Online for allowing us to use information from Credu.
You can get info about your entitlements from:
INFO
2 North Arcade
Chester Street
Wrexham
LL13 8BB
(Entrance to the Peoples Market)
01978 358900
infoshop@wrexham.gov.uk