More than 100 students “opened up” about life as a young person in Leicestershire as the county hosted its first-ever policing Youth Summit.
Pupils from secondary schools, colleges and youth groups across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland were invited to take part in Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach’s youth event.
The youngsters, aged from 11 to 18, were asked for their opinions on a range of issues affecting the safety of young people today.
They also took part in six workshops covering the areas of Child Sexual Exploitation, Cybercrime, Drugs and Alcohol, Hate Crime, Knife Crime and Theft and were invited to contribute to the Youth Commission’s latest research project.
The event, which was attended by a total of 124 delegates including three members of the PCC’s Youth Commission, brought together key community safety partners including Leicester City Council, Leicester County Council, Crimestoppers, Leicestershire Police and PAVE (Pro-active Vulnerability Engagement Team).
It was so successful the PCC and his wider team are already planning another Youth Summit in 2019.
Willy Bach said: “I’m really pleased at the success of Leicestershire’s first Youth Summit. Young people have so many fresh ideas about public safety and debate the issues of today with confidence and insight. We can all learn a lot from their experiences.
“I think there is real value in involving young people in problem-solving, especially when the issue has a direct impact on their safety. Lots of new ideas about protecting young people were explored and we will certainly be collating all the research from the day.
“I would like to thank the organisers of the Youth Summit for planning such a positive event. I’m looking forward to further events in the future.”
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Posted on Thursday 15th November 2018