Vale Rights Ambassadors Raising Awareness Of Children’s Rights

A training session for young Vale residents who signed up for the Rights Ambassadors project has recently taken place at Llantwit Major’s Atlantic College. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Following an intensive few months of training, during which the Ambassadors completed the Agored Cymru Level 1 unit regarding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the young people spent the morning at Atlantic College learning how to create workshops to raise the awareness of children’s rights. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The afternoon at Atlantic College was spent participating in a range of team-building activities aiming to develop their team-work skills, which, in turn, would support the delivery of the workshops across the whole of the Vale. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

This is the third year of the highly successful project, a project that has received praise from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Professor Sally Holland, and finished as a finalist in 2016 for the Outstanding Rights Youth Work Project category of the Youth Work Excellence Awards. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Since its launch in 2014, the project – which is funded by the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Children and Young People’s Partnership – has enabled 53 young people from across the Vale complete accredited training on the UNCRC. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

With the support of qualified youth workers from the Council’s Youth Service, the young people have gone on to deliver 33 workshops to children, young people, professionals, and councillors across the county. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Deputy Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Education, Councillor Lis Burnett, said: “For a third year running, our Youth Service has done a fantastic job in inspiring young people across the Vale of Glamorgan. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Their work helps raise the awareness of the list of 42 rights that all children in the world have.“The delivery of the workshops, led by the growing number of Rights Ambassadors, plays a vital role in increasing our county’s awareness of the rights of children.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Raising awareness of the UNCRC is a priority of the Welsh Government and the Vale of Glamorgan Council. Schools and youth organisations are able to contact the Rights Ambassadors Project Worker, Geraint Evans, by emailing gdevans@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk, or by phoning 02920 701254, to arrange for the Rights Ambassadors to visit them and deliver a workshop. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​