Youth Council

Youth Council 2022 Wrap Up

January 31, 2023 by Megan Ballin

KWMC Youth Council had a huge year in 2022. From meeting at the media centre where we planned, discussed and voted for real-world issues to travelling around the city where the young people represented their local community in events all over Bristol.

The young people worked with Play Disrupt and Re:create Filwood to help co-design the new developments in Knowle West by workshopping and sharing ideas in meetings as well as taking part in augmented reality on the streets to use their voice to recreate the future of their community.

The Youth Council helped host KWMC’s Our Space event in April. The young people welcomed the members of the public into the media centre; proudly giving tours around the building and sharing their stories about the Our Space project and their involvement as part of the Knowle West Media Collective.

The young people also worked with Filwood Library by taking part in a toys audit. Playing games and helping the community at the same time.

On Thursday the 23rd of June, KWMC’s Youth Council headed down to City Hall to attend a youth conference hosted by Bristol City Council. The conference was an opportunity for youth council’s from around Bristol to come together and use their voices to help build the future of youth services in the city.

The building was buzzing with excitable energy as young people gathered from all different corners of Bristol, from Southmead and Lawrence Weston to Hartcliff and Knowle West. Delicious food was provided and some inspirational videos were shared to highlight some of the amazing work being run by youth provisions within Bristol.

Bristol City’s Youth Council were hosting the event and the members came round to greet all of the young people and talk to them about their passions and ideas. Conversations flowed about diverse topics; young people shared their views on the importance of trust and respect amongst young people and staff at youth provisions. Ideas about vegetable gardens and more green spaces were discussed in the hope to help the environment and the mental health of people in the city. As the young people talked, members of the Council made notes and the young people’s voices were recorded to send on to decision-makers in the Council.

KWMC Youth Council were lucky enough to meet the Youth Mayor of Bristol, Anika Mistry and be given a tour of the Council Chamber. It was amazing to meet other young people in the city who were also keen to work together and make positive change in Bristol.

In October, the Youth Council also attended K-West Fest and helped our team at Filwood Community Centre to create a beautiful festival where the community, danced, played games and shared food together.

With so much to celebrate already, the Youth Council were generously awarded free VIP tickets to watch The Nutcracker in December at Bristol Old Vic. The young people had submitted their art as part of a competition with Bristol Old Vic and were overjoyed to be rewarded with tickets to this production. The show was phenomenal; from the amazing set design to the multi talented actors who were all singing, dancing and playing instruments! We had a magical time and we all left with smiles from ear to ear!

The young people interviewed each other before and after the show and we have since written reviews about the show which we will be submitting as part of our Arts Awards Qualifications.

“I have never been the theatre but this has to be the best one I have ever seen.”
Young person

Thank you Bristol Old Vic for this unforgettable experience.

KWMC Youth Council has reconnected in 2023 welcoming some new faces and new energy. They are getting stuck into community development straight away, helping to decide on the new Filwood Broadway logo. We also spent the first session of 2023 writing some intentions for the year. The young people have some very exciting ideas in the pipeline!

To find out more about the Youth Council please contact jumpstudios@kwmc.org.uk

April & May Youth Council Meeting

May 27, 2022 by Megan Ballin

April Youth Council

In April, the Youth Council recorded their meeting as a way to share their ideas and discussions. With the main studio mic-ed up and ready, to go we started the session by sharing the positive news that local community voices have driven change and helped sign off the new MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) which is being built on Filwood Fields.

This recent example of local voices being turned into action excited the committee and we spent some time mind mapping other changes we would like to see in Filwood. Some examples the young people came up with were: a bakery, a craft shop and a cafe where you can adopt animals.

The Youth Council mic-ed up in the main studio

A young person raised the matter of local concern in the last session about the proposed 5G mast that is being built in Redcatch Park. The group decided to investigate further and we did some self-led research. They searched the internet for stats, facts and forums before gathering information and reporting back.

We discussed the power of protesting and the young people decided on short snappy slogans to capture their beliefs about the mast. Examples were turned into placards which we later laser cut at KWMC.

The Youth Council presenting their placards

The rest of the session was spent thinking about some internal development within KWMC. The training rooms are undergoing a makeover so we went on a recce to check out the space and the young people shared their ideas about how we could change the space to suit their needs during Jump Studio sessions.

After discussing plans as a group the team learnt how to use 3D design software; TinkerCAD to digitally design their ideal training room layout. The young people came up with some innovative ideas and supported them with advanced technical 3D designs.

A Youth Council member using TinkerCAD to design their ideal training room

May Youth Council

Our May Youth Council session landed on the local referendum voting day. The main studio of KWMC was being used as a polling station so we created a mini polling station upstairs in the Western Room where the committee were given faux polling cards and were asked to vote on the real-life referendum.

100% of the group voted that Bristol City Council should be run by 70 people as opposed to it being run by 1 mayor like it is at the moment. The young people discussed the pro’s and con’s of their democratic vote;

Pro’s of the Council being ran by 70 people:

Wanting something new
Different ideas
Different brain cells
What if the mayor’s idea isn’t what the people want
Different agreements
Compromising and mixing different ideas together
Think more about the community around Bristol
Hold each other accountable for their actions
Realising the risks that 1 person might not think about
Democracy

Cons;

Some people might disagree, it could cause arguments

The young people then went on to discuss the legal age to vote. They were advocating that the law should change so that when young people reach Key Stage 4 at the age of 14 they should be allowed to vote. They believe there should be more information on the voting system at schools, in museums, and on the Tuesday night TV programme, ‘News Round’. Conversations emerged about the history of women’s ability to vote and the young people shared information they had about this topic.

The young people spent the rest of the session thinking about their personal KWMC stories; how they first got involved with KWMC and how their journey has grown and developed. This was an opportunity for them to reflect on the impact KWMC has had on their lives and how they would like to stay connected in the future and help mould future projects.

To find out more about the Youth Council please contact jumpstudios@kwmc.org.uk

‘Our Space’ Celebration Event

April 13, 2022 by Megan Ballin

Last month, we ran the ‘Our Space’ celebration event at Knowle West Media Centre. The event celebrated the new artwork created by Yoli Ward-Streeter on the railings outside the media centre on Leinster Avenue to welcome the community inside.

Yoli collaborated with the young people of Jump Studios to create the beautiful artwork and at the celebration event, we invited friends and family down to the media centre to celebrate with refreshments and music performances.

Young people performing for friends and family

The young people co-led the event to showcase their musical talent and share their work that they have been rehearsing and practising over this term at ‘Sound Wave’.

The young people had the chance to share their creative personal projects with their parents and other members of the community. They took ownership of their space and their achievements, the energy was incredible and there was a real sense of pride and inspiration while we celebrated.

Our Space was such an exciting project to be part of, not only through collaborating with the young people but as an artist, I was given an enormous amount of creative freedom and support throughout the project.
Yoli Ward-Streeter

If you get the opportunity, please come down to the media centre and check out the new artwork on display and if you would like any updates you can follow us on Instagram or Twitter.

Amplifying Local Young People’s Voices over a Cuppa’

March 16, 2022 by Clara Collett

The Knowle West Media Centre‘s young people’s team hosted their first Tea and Coffee morning this January.

The event was set up to be an open space for anyone working in the local area to come along and find out what people are up to, shout about any amazing opportunities other organisations have coming up, and chat more about how best we can support local young people. Plus, it wouldn’t be right without a cuppa and some biscuits.

We were joined by Robins Foundation, Unique Voice, Youth Moves, and a local illustrator.

I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about how the morning went so you can get an idea of what we’re up to and hopefully, join us for a cuppa at the next one.

We started off with some informal introductions to find out what we all do, what ages we work with, and what areas we work in.

We had some flip chart paper set up with some questions, that we thought were of interest to those working in the area, and it was a great way to get the conversations flowing!

Here are the notes that were made around the topics we chatted about:

Firstly, on ‘What works well when working with young people in Knowle West / South Bristol?‘

Having a “logo” to that young people know who we are
One-to-one approaches
Being reactive

‘How can we best support each other and others working with young people in the area?’

Advertise sessions in local schools
Combine the ‘Youth Council’ from Robins, KWMC, Youth Moves and Youth Voice
Sit with young people, sign-post, and sign-up to other services directly with them
Networking and finding out what is on
Attending sessions with young people

‘What areas do you work in?‘

Filwood
Hartcliffe
SBSC
Stockwood
Knowle West

‘What do we want to improve when working with young people in 2022?’

Asking young people what they want and need, before delivering it collaboratively
Not losing contact if they go quiet
Transport
Access
Engagement
Youth Zone to have more collaboration and have other organisations working alongside Youth Moves
Mobile Skate Park with KWMC Blocks

‘What would you like to start asking young people, so youth voice is at the forefront of what we do?’

Youth Council socials so young people can get together to discuss what is important
‘How can we collaborate more?’

After these discussions, we spent some time highlighting some projects that were happening (My Future Self – Unique Voice, Primary Holiday Programmes, Future Legacy Project, and FAMBALL) and what training we have found useful (Gaming Training, Mental Health and Wellbeing Resilience and Mental Health First Aid).

Clara leading a group of young women and non-binary people in our 2021 Future Legacy Project retreat.

Finally, KWMC used the opportunity to highlight Eight Creative Agency and the work they do for young, emerging creatives (18-30).

A photo of an artist performing at a Sound Wave event, ran by Jump Studios and filmed by Eight Creative Agency.

These conversations proved invaluable and really got us excited about looking ahead to the potential of a bi-monthly meetup that can bring together South Bristol services that are working for young people, in order to amplify their voices.

If you would be interested in coming to an event like this then the next one will be on the 24th of March from 9.30 – 11.30 am at Knowle West Media Centre.

This month, we are going to be focusing on youth voice and how we can bring youth councils in the area together to amplify young people’s voices in decision-making in South Bristol.

If you are working nearby as part of an organisation, a freelancer, part of the council or you would like to lend an ear to find out more about how we aim to support South Bristol young people collectively, please get in touch by emailing clara@kwmc.org.uk and we will be happy to welcome and accommodate you at our event.

The Youth Council Of 2022

February 14, 2022 by Megan Ballin

On the 20th of January, we ran the first KWMC Youth Council of 2022 with our new cohort of young people. We started with some fun interactive games to get the new cohort thinking about the difference between facts and opinions. We split the main studio at KWMC into two; one side “agree” and one side “disagree”, we then read out a range of varied statements and the young people ran up and down the room making their decisions. They then took it upon themselves to share their own facts and ideas with the group and the game continued with them leading it. Through this active, fun warm-up, the team started to communicate with each other and the group dynamic began to flourish.

The young people went on to think about what the Youth Council was and what it meant to them. They proudly chose their job titles and joined together for a photo as the new ‘KWMC Youth Council Committee’!

ReCREATE Filwood

The young people got stuck in straight away with ‘reCREATE Filwood’; a local project which is currently redesigning the local Filwood high street. As a group, we looked at the map of Knowle West and the young people shared the locations of places that they knew. 

‘ReCREATE Filwood’ created interactive maps which we used with the young people. This enabled them to click on locations in the area and write what they liked or disliked about these spaces. This was a great way to get the young people thinking about their community and we went on virtual tours around the neighbourhood using Google street view. 

Thinking about Filwood Broadway specifically, the young people thought about the following ideas:

What would make Filwood Broadway a “go-to” place for young people?

Any ideas from other high streets they may have been to…

Any suggestions on street activities/events/…

Arts and culture – linking to public art strategy  

How would they like to be involved in improving Filwood Broadway going forward?

The Youth Council fearlessly took complete ownership of the task and came up with a wide range of ideas of how they would like to redesign the area. They carefully thought about the diverse needs of the people living locally and how they could help the community and environment in practical and creative ways.

We recorded all of the young people’s work from the session and fed it back to ‘reCREATE Filwood’ who went on to use the young people’s voices to help develop the design ideas for the Broadway.  The Youth Council is eager to get involved and help with future developments and they were really excited to hear that their voices were going to be heard by the wider community.

Looking forward

We understand how important it is that local young people get their voices heard and our new Youth Council committee is willing to use their voice and start making positive change!

Our Youth Council sessions will be running monthly. We want to talk to the community and understand current affairs for the young people to work on together. We are determined to bring together people from all different ages and walks of life and build an even more beautiful Bristol! 

If you would like to hear some of the discussion between the Youth Council of 2022, check out a link to our Soundcloud.

To find out more about the Youth Council please contact megan@kwmc.org.uk or jumpstudios@kwmc.org.uk