Vale Youth Speak Up Our Journey Through Speaking Up
ADAM My name is Adam and I am 24. We are all members of Vale People First. Our projects include Vale Youth Speak Up and Helping Hands
MARK My
name is Mark. I used to live with my mum but now I share a house with some other guys and some staff to help us. I am 23 tomorrow.
ALEX My name is Alex. I am 20. I attend Cardiff and Vale College
JENNY My
name is Jenny. I’m 20. I live with my mum, brother and sister. I also go to college.
WHAT IS VALE PEOPLE FIRST?  Vale
People First is a Disability Rights organisation for people with a learning disability led by people with a learning disability.
 We
provide a wide range of services for people with a learning disability in the Vale of Glamorgan.
ICE BREAKER We are going to play “Guess Who” We will give you a piece of paper and a pen. Please write down a secret about yourself (which you wont mind sharing) fold up your paper and give it to a presenter.
We will read your secret out to the class ….your friends will try and guess who it is! If you guess right you can have a prize !
IN THE PAST!
VALE YOUTH SPEAK UP We support people with learning disabilities to speak up and be in charge of their lives. We want to help children and young people with learning disabilities participate in a fun friendly accessible group. Our group tackles discrimination and fight for our rights in society. We make films, talk about our lives, go on trips and talk to other young people in our community. The group runs itself. We (the young people) are in charge of how our group is run
We
highlight disability issues that young people face like discrimination, bullying, moving forward, friendships and relationships.
We
make our own rules and run our own group.
We
have written job descriptions for youth workers and trained professionals on disability awareness.
Speaking Out At Our AGM
Protesting Against Disability Cuts
We were awarded the National Children and Young Peoples Partnership Kitemark for Wales, following a visit from the Vale of Glamorgan Youth Inspectors.
Proudly Receiving Our Award
The Philip Lawrence Award In 2012 we won an award from PLAnet, the Philip Lawrence Awards Network, for making a difference within our community. The theme being young people making a real difference. Two of our members with support, spent a weekend in Birmingham to meet Frances Lawrence and the other winners.
Receiving Our Award
Award Presentation in London We
were also invited to an award ceremony in London. We had a tour of Westminster Abbey and went to 11 Downing Street to receive our award which was presented to us by Sir Michael Howard We met George Osborne, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer, Michael Gove MP, Lord Howard, David Blunkett MP, and drank tea with the Duchess of Kent. It was an amazing day and we were all very proud.
Sir Michael Howard Presenting Our Award.
11 Downing Street
Why do you think your group is so good? We are in charge of our group and together we make the rules
We talk about our lives, what we’re unhappy about and what can be done about it.
We are like a family
We support each other
We get our message out into the community
We speak up for ourselves
Everyone respects each other and themselves
It’s a great way to make new friends
We have partnerships with other organisations
No one is more important than anyone else
Being part of the group gives us opportunities
We have fun and learn new things.
As members we are responsible for signing in sheets, finances, setting up the room, tidying up and lots more
We always feel welcome and safe We all have a voice and a choice
Having fun at our summer fundraising disco
Singing on the Karaoke
Halloween Party
Members Comments!
RYAN I’ve made a lot of friends. Being part of Speak Up has given me the confidence to speak up for myself and join in things. The group has changed my life�!
KELLYANN “I acted in the films and have loads of friends. Coming to group is a big part of my life. I’m worked hard and now I’m a staff volunteer helping new members to feel comfortable and included. I love it”!
MIKE “The group changed me as a person. It’s made me stronger and given me confidence. I’ve made new friends and I can meet old ones every week. I am also a staff volunteer and the group treasurer. The group is really important to me”.
Films We’ve
made two community films called the Rights Fighters which tackles discrimination and bullying using superheroes.
The
group wrote the script based on incidents they’ve experienced. They also designed the costumes and wrote and sang the songs.
‘Pride’ Our
third and latest film is a showcase of what being part of our group has done for us and the difference it’s made to our lives.
We
are proud to present this film to you now.