Youth Commission Recommendations Report 2019 by Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire

RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT

HAMPSHIRE & ISLE OF WIGHT YOUTH COMMISSION

JANUARY - NOVEMBER 2019 1

youth commission recommendations report 2019

Introduction

06 What else did we do?

Summary

08 Who did we tell?

11 Case Study: Josh Baaker

17 Case Study: Sarah Arnold

21 Moving Forward

Prriority 1: Substance Misuse

13 Priority 2: Unhealthy Relationships

Priority 3: Anti-social behaviour

14 Case Study: Amelia Payne

20 Something Else

23 Our partners

24 Contact us

CONTENTS

Foreword by Michael Lane

foreword by michael lane The innovative work of my Youth Commission continues. A highlight this year has been The High Sheriff of Hampshire for 2018-2019, Mark Thistlethwyte selecting their ‘Raise a Flag’ campaign, which addresses unhealthy relationships, as his award nomination for the national Crime Beat awards. I was delighted to watch them receive the runners up prize at the ceremony in London. The campaign was also shortlisted for a Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) award, the results of which are awaited. Equally of note is the continuing progress of the Cyber Ambassador scheme, which was the original idea and creation of the Youth Commission in 2017. The scheme enables a small group of students to deliver cyber safety advice to their peers in primary and secondary schools. Following the successful pilot by the Youth Commission, I initially funded the programme for nine months, with Portsmouth Safeguarding Board providing a contribution for their secondary schools. As a result of unprecedented demand, including requests from further education colleges, infant and special schools, I have agreed a further two years funding to allow the scheme to embed even more widely to meet the demand. This year my Youth Commission has relished the headway made to ensure young people’s voices are heard at a strategic level. Youth Commission members now sit alongside multiagency professionals on the pan-Hampshire Child Exploitation Board to give their views, provide feedback from young people received through the Big Conversation, and to give a young person’s perspective to the board members. My thanks go to the board for enabling this and I encourage others to follow their lead. This report is not the end of the process. In commending the recommendations of the Youth Commission, I look forward to seeing how we are all able to progress them to deliver improved engagement, understanding and action.

MICHAEL’S FOREWORD

I thank each and every Youth Commission member, who volunteers their time to make a difference to their community. Their energy and commitment inspires me.

Michael Lane Police and Crime Commissioner

YOUTH COMMISSION members 2019 Abigail Mulroy

Holly Kitkat

Abigail Davie

James Bowman

Alec Mackay Blake

Jasmine Wall

Alex Anderson

Jordan Fewings

AlĂŠx Hobbins

Jess Mills

Alison Romaine

Joshua Baker

Amelia Payne

Julia Angeles

Ammarah Syal

Leah Jenkins

Anna Bodman

Kyle Wright

Ben Frankland

Mandy Ratcliff

Bronilda Hoxha

Marcia Tanyanyiwa

Caitlin O'Farrell

Rebecca Dunn

Callum Graves

Ryan Dugdale

Eliot Peck

Sarah Arnold

Elinor McNulty

Tom Lowe

Elizabeth Bridges

Vicky Kendall-Weiss

Faith Adams-Wright

Tsvetelina Yordanova

Gabrielle Day And OPCC volunteer Casey Taylor

YC MEMBERS 2019

Hannah Rowsell

Introduction The Youth Commission allows young people to act as a conduit between their peer group and the Police and Crime Commissioner, exploring real experiences on policing and crime, coupled with finding solutions for those issues. Each year new members are recruited, trained and volunteer to make their communities a safer place to live. This year 19 young people were recruited and inducted aged between 14 and 25 who were tasked with: •

Talking with young people in their communities to understand their policing and criminal justice concerns, via The Big Conversation

•

Providing opportunities for young people to inform, support and challenge the Police and Crime Commissioner’s work

•

Identifying the root causes of problems, making recommendations for change and working on solutions

Members are from Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton and from diverse backgrounds, including some who have direct experience of the police and justice systems. We actively encourage applications from young people with these life experiences. The new group identified the following priorities to address: »

substance misuse

anti-social behaviour

unhealthy relationships

And this year the Youth Commission have introduced the option for young people to tell us about anything else they think is important.

INTRODUCTION

BIG CONVERSATION

From January to October 2019, the Youth Commission undertook its Big Conversation on their chosen priorities, using a range of tools to gather and record the views of their peers in different settings. They heard from over 2,645 young people. Youth Commission members worked alongside members of the Commissioner’s Performance and Information team to gain a qualitative understanding of the Big Conversation by coding the data and exploring emerging themes across each of the priorities. These conversations give us up to date ‘on the ground’ opinions, meaning that we can respond to the needs as and when they arise. Additionally, the members used the feedback from the Big Conversation to deliver impactful campaigns and to influence the thinking of professionals and educate peers. The information gained has been collated into the following recommendations.

Summary All recommendations are based on solutions given by young people in the Big Conversation.

SUBSTANCE MISUSE RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Awareness Educate peers on the changes in someone’s behaviour and well-being so they can better support and recognise the signs of increased substance misuse. 2. Impact of Substance Misuse Target messaging to highlight the consequences of misusing substances. This is for peers, family and community to all recognise and have a better understanding of what can happen. 3. After-effects of Substance Misuse Knowing what to do to help people who have overdosed or are too intoxicated.

UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS RECOMMENDATIONS 1. More education and awareness from a younger age Networking in more ‘secluded’ establishments e.g. home-schooled children would be beneficial, so everyone can be exposed to the signs of unhealthy relationships, even from infant school age upwards. 2. Highlight impacts of unhealthy relationships Highlight and recognise the impacts of unhealthy behaviour in relationships, encourage people to trust their gut instincts and seek help as soon as they feel uncomfortable or negative things occur. 3. Tackle gender (and other) stereotypes

SUMMARY

Help break the stereotype that only women are suffering. Focus on same-sex relationships, particularly males, as unhealthy relationships can happen to anyone.

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Solving misconceptions Spreading more awareness of what anti-social behaviour means and involves. 2. Diversion as a solution Permanent activities all year round instead of just in the summer. 3. Beating the stereotypes Anti-social behaviour is not just caused by young people. 4. Signposting to reporting methods Awareness on where and how to report anti-social behaviour.

SOMETHING ELSE The four main themes young people also raised were; 1. Mental health 2. Bullying 3. Fear of terrorism

SUMMARY

4. Knife crime

WHAT ELSE DID WE DO? BEING YOUNG PEOPLE’S VOICE The Youth Commission’s aim is to be the ‘go to’ body for young people’s voices, informing other demographics, cultures and communities, influencing locally, regionally and nationally. This year we have added two measures in the Hampshire County Council children and young people’s plan.

STOP AND SEARCH PROJECT The Youth Commission supported Hampshire Constabulary with their new approach to stop and search, by giving our views and experiences. Members are keen to promote and support the project roll out. “The ‘Your View’ project has an overarching objective of building relationships and understanding between the police and young people regarding stop and search. The Youth Commission kindly allowed me to demonstrate my project to them. This involved education about stop and search, voting on live stop and search ‘reasonable grounds’ and measuring trust. The rich diversity of opinion and passion of the Youth Commission was invaluable to my work. Their feedback was instrumental in helping to shape my delivery, in particular the use of online voting platforms as an engagement tool. I was able act on the feedback and took this forward into live sessions which meant my engagement with young people felt natural and valued. Thank you to Lynne and the Youth Commission”. Police Sergeant Joe Clarke

“The Hampshire Youth Commission inspired our youth-led project to improve housing and education, training and employment policies for young people in the Hampshire area. The Youth Commission team are highly effective in encouraging young people to participate. We were so impressed by the diversity and skills of the young people, who provide valuable insights into policy that could not be gathered any other way”. Anna Killick, lead researcher on Southern Policy Centre report ‘Help us to move on!’ funded by the Blagrave Trust.

SHAPE THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY CAMPAIGN “In March we consulted with the Young Commission as part of our campaign to strengthen the safety net for families in financial crisis. We wanted to find out from young people what a good crisis support service should be like. The group considered different options including online and face to face services and the different ways young people like to receive and find out information. The consultations conducted in Winchester, as well as other parts of the country have informed 10 criteria that crisis support services should consider in order to be child/young person friendly.” Jacq McNee, The Children’s Society

WHAT ELSE DID WE DO?

INFLUENCING REGIONAL POLICY

EMBEDDING THE WORK OF THE YOUTH COMMISSION WITH THE COMMISSIONER AND THEIR OFFICE The Youth Commission is a valued part of the office of the PCC and as such the two work closely together. Mentor Marcia had a fantastic day shadowing the PCC, which included visiting the new Police Investigation Centre and agreeing a grant for a youth organisation. We’ve worked closely at public events such as the ‘Safer Together’ event, police families’ day, Gosport Policing and Crime event and Fareham 999 day and have valued the opportunity to have a joint presence. Members have also received trauma informed training from the Commissioning team and regularly give evidence to the Police and Crime panel.

CREATING A YOUTH COMMISSION STRATEGY A new two year strategy has been produced and prescribes a clear direction to manage the demands of issues impacting young people today, and addresses any gaps that remain, as well as ensuring that all mechanisms available are being used to achieve the highest reach possible.

WHAT ELSE DID WE DO?

It outlines clear procedures for Youth Commission members to take more ownership of the running of the organisation, and to engage and work regularly with the PCC and their office.

Ultimately it aims to improve outcomes for young people and the communities they live, work and socialise in keeping them safer. New work involves building links with Crown Prosecution Service and bringing together student unions from universities and colleges.

WHO WE REACHED/who did we tell infographic Views Page Views Page Views

6,562

Sessions

3,231

12.2%

300

322

Users

55.9%

Views

300

-56.0%

Watch Time

06:53:50 -61.0%

100

24 18

Watch Time

200

Views

200

Sessions

Page Views

6 2 Mar 31 Jan

1 Apr

YC Twitter Followers

1,192

0 1 May 30 Jun 29 Aug 28 Oct 27 Dec 31 May 30 Jul 28 Sep 27 Nov

YC Facebook Fans

483

8.4%

Impressions

197,045 -65.9%

Engagement

2,220 -77.9%

July June

00 September November August October December

315

26.0%

Impressions

54,185

91,805

Engagement

-34.9%

May April

YC Instagram Followers

10.3%

Reach

0 January March February

1,936 -31.2%

2,725.6%

2,013

1,697.3%

11,289 impressions

Events Held and/or Attended 20

Engagement Total

In uencers attended

In uencer impact

4,323

2,451

Engagement Total

1.5K

500

In uencer impact

Jan 2019 Mar 2019 May 2019 Jul 2019 Sep 2019 Nov 2019 Feb 2019 Apr 2019 Jun 2019 Aug 2019 Oct 2019 Dec 2019

BIG CONVERSATION, WE SPOKE TO 2645 YOUNG PEOPLE 35%

Substance Misuse

87 Events

29%

Unhealthy Relationships

35 Youth Commission members

25%

Anti-Social Behaviour

820 hours volunteered

11%

Something Else

39 partners

WHO WE REACHED/WHO DID WE TELL INFOGRAPHIC

0 1 Jan

Priority 1 - Substance misuse OUR AIMS WERE TO: •

Raise awareness of staying safe in situations with substances

•

Encourage young people to experience natural highs rather than through substances

“I chose substance misuse as I wanted to spread awareness of the lies around drugs and alcohol. Drugs are glorified by people which makes young people want to do it more. The substance misuse group is getting the truth out there and hopefully changing one person’s mind at a time through each event” Jordan Fewings, 20

ACTIONS

PRIORITY 1 - SUBSTANCE MISUSE

Members:

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had a talk from, and then went to, Hampshire Constabulary’s scientific services laboratory and spent time with the drug experts and criminal investigation team to learn about drug testing and trends

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developed and posted messages on social media for festival safety and alternative natural high e.g. activities

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created a PowerPoint presentation with facts and shared this online and at Eastleigh Youth Conference

VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES “Seeing my friend’s personality’s change when misusing substances”. “My dad’s an alcoholic from PTSD and has overdosed from drugs before”. “I was on drugs every day not going to school. Drugs have increased in the local area, causing sad deaths in local colleges”. “How to treat people affected by drugs if put in that situation”.

FINDINGS 35% of young people we spoke to told us this was their top priority Young people have told us that low level use of substances is increasingly leading their peers to substance misuse dependency, they also say there needs to be an increased awareness of the impact of substances upon individuals and that they want to have an understanding of practical skills in order to give immediate assistance when they encounter someone in need of emotional and physical help. All recommendations are based on solutions given by young people in the Big Conversation.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Awareness Young people have told us that low level use of substances is increasingly leading their peers to substance misuse dependency. It is important to educate peers on the changes of someone’s behaviour and wellbeing so they can better recognise the signs of increased substance misuse. 2. Impact of Substance Misuse Building upon the Youth Commission campaign, ‘Dice with Your Life’, young people are saying there needs to be an increased awareness of the impact of substances upon individuals. By developing a ‘Did You Know?’ resource we can target messaging to highlight the consequences of misusing substances. This is for peers, family and community to all recognise and have a better understanding of what can happen. Young people want to have an understanding of practical skills in order to give immediate assistance when they encounter someone in need of emotional and physical help. This includes training in how to recognise signs/symptoms of substance misuse, including overdose, and where to signpost for help and support.

PRIORITY 1 - SUBSTANCE MISUSE

3. After-effects of Substance Misuse

Case Study: Josh Baker, 19 My primary reason for choosing substance misuse is the unfortunate popularity and presence of drugs and use amongst numerous age brackets. Secondly I would like to contribute to help people who are struggling to realise that you can’t change your current situation until you start changing what’s going on with you, by seeking help. The Youth Commission has supported me to grow and develop as an individual throughout the last couple of years. I originally started volunteering alongside my college course and now I’m about to start a social work degree at Portsmouth University.

CASE STUDY: JOSH BAKER, 19

Thanks to working closely with influential, kind individuals I have been able to develop my interpersonal and communication skills. Now I would say I have gained more poise and am more desirable to hire both in the voluntary and professional sector alike.

Priority 2 - Unhealthy relationships OUR AIMS WERE TO: •

Raise awareness of consent with peers

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Provide input to professionals on young people’s experiences

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Become trauma informed

“I thought that all the aims were important to young people but unhealthy relationships was a problem that I wanted to help tackle as I could see the effects that it had on the people I cared about. I have loved being a part of it and it has helped and inspired me. One of the best decisions I have made.” Hannah Rowsell, 17.

ACTIONS •

purchased and distributed sperm keyrings that had messages around asking for consent

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sat on the pan-Hampshire Child Exploitation Board and have attended all meetings to provide a young person’s perspective

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presented to professionals at Hampshire North East Domestic Abuse forum

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made short videos raising awareness of domestic abuse/dating abuse

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received trauma informed training

FINDINGS 29% of young people we spoke to told us this was their top priority From findings in the Big Conversation, the majority of surveyed young people have had some sort of experience and knowledge of an unhealthy relationship, whether that is first-hand or from the perspective of a friend or relative. Through the responses we have identified that people are generally unaware of the scale of the issue and don’t necessarily know what actions to take if they found themselves in these situations, or who to approach. In addition, it was found that the young people affected by these unhealthy relationships can encounter long-lasting mental and physical effects from these, whether this be with their family, friends or their partner. Therefore we have strongly linked the recommendations below to tackling these main issues we have uncovered.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. More education and awareness from a younger age

PRIORITY 2 - UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Members;

Based on the findings, more specific education is needed, as right now many people do not know all the varying effects of these unhealthy relationships, or how to avoid/escape

from them. The signs of unhealthy relationships aren’t always obvious to young people, such as acknowledging that rape or domestic abuse are not part of a healthy relationship. It is easy for someone to suffer in a relationship and for people close to them to not know about their suffering. On top of this, private schools and home-schooled children aren’t often reached by this vital education, networking into more ‘secluded’ establishments would be beneficial, so everyone can be exposed to this information, even from infant school age upwards. 2. Highlight impacts of unhealthy relationships It is paramount to highlight and recognise the impacts of unhealthy behaviour in relationships. The Youth Commission’s main recommendation is that people need to trust their gut instincts and seek help as soon as they feel uncomfortable or negative things occur. If young people accept uncomfortable situations then this can lead to them suffering major physical, and mental effects, something that we believe can be prevented more often. It is suggested that everyone advises people they know to break this cycle - don’t accept being in an unhealthy relationship, you do have an alternative. Also it has been found through the Big Conversation that short-term issues can have long-term impacts, therefore it is best to eradicate issues as soon as possible.

PRIORITY 2 - UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

3. Gender (and other) stereotypes

The media’s portrayal of unhealthy relationships is often inaccurate and far from thorough enough with regards to gender stereotypes. It is specifically same-sex relationships and males in relationships whose suffering is not covered enough and many people only associate women as suffering in unhealthy relationships. In our Big Conversation many people told us about this so we want to help break this stereotype, especially when it is known that males are less likely to seek help than females in these situations. A more targeted focus and more education and awareness of males and homosexual-based unhealthy relationships will raise the public’s awareness of this.

VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES “These issues I find very gender-blind and one sided. For example it is never spoken enough about when boys are abused/raped. They are victims as well.” “An unhealthy relationship can lead to abuse and depression. This has happened to me, my parents were always arguing making everyone sad.” “The Youth Commission came to our school and really helped our year group recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships.” “I was in a toxic relationship. I felt trapped, he said he’d kill himself if I left him. He was manipulative and abused me. I felt stalked, he wanted to know about my whereabouts all the time”

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS “Talk to someone you trust, never keep it bottled, it is important to speak up about relationships, bring awareness to signs, offer help and advice in schools.” “Young people don’t know what a healthy relationship is, so can’t detect it (an unhealthy relationship) to report it.” “There’s not a lot of media attention, and all stereotypes are to women being victims.” “NOBODY deserves abuse.”

PARTNER QUOTES

“The involvement of the Youth Commission has been invaluable in providing forum members with an insight into how we can best connect with young people who are or may experience domestic abuse in the future. We have really valued the support of YC members at our training events; awareness raising sessions in schools as well as, the always open invitation to speak to the YC members and ask their opinions. We are delighted that the Youth Commission has had ‘unhealthy relationships’ as one of its key priorities for this year and the members’ continual efforts to shine a light on this issue, which blights the lives of many young people”.

“The Youth Commission have continued to support key work streams for the safeguarding partnership, including the multi-agency response to child exploitation. The Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton (HIPS) Child Exploitation Group, which was established in the autumn of 2018, has benefited greatly from the support, and independent scrutiny, provided by members of the Youth Commission. Hannah and Amelia continue to attend meetings and contribute proactively to the delivery of the group’s action plan. The insight they provide regarding the views of children and young people is invaluable and ensures that the ‘voice of the child’ remains at the heart of our work”. Hampshire Children’s Safeguarding Partnership

“I chair the Pan-Hampshire multi-agency child exploitation group, which brings together senior stakeholders from police, health, social care, education, youth offending, probation and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. This group we created in late 2018 and we felt that the voice of a young person would add value to this group and approached the Youth Commission. We now have Hannah and Amelia, who we are able to use to bring some reality to some of the work that we plan and also how this would be perceived by the young people and children. The benefit that it will also add is that we can task them to take work away to discuss with other members of the Youth Commission. I look forward to the continued input this will provide to us as a group involved in priority areas focussed on protecting children”. Detective Superintendent Scott MacKechnie Chair of the Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton Strategic Child Exploitation Group

PRIORITY 2 - UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Karen Evans, Chair, North East Hampshire Domestic Abuse Forum

Case study: Amelia Payne, 15 It has been a privilege to be involved with the Youth Commission for the past year. When applying I had no real idea of what to expect but I desperately wanted to get involved and help represent the opinion of others in my community. What first drew me in was the fact that the Commission is a group of young people who tackle huge issues, such as mental health and unhealthy relationships, and have the power to make a huge difference in the lives of other young people as well as adults! I’m one of the younger members being only 15 but that hasn’t stopped me getting stuck in! Since joining I have made new friends with so many like-minded people. I can truly say being part of the Youth Commission has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever taken part in. In May I, along with four other members, was invited to the Department of Education building in Westminster, to help take part in a government task force for period poverty with its aim to bring together a range of different organisations from the public, private and third sectors. This gave the space to share my thoughts and opinions on the issue. Period poverty is where girls and woman are unable to afford sanitary products, the cases have increased with now one in four women suffering. It has been great to give my advice on this issue and share the opportunity with new-found friends! In addition since joining I am now a member of, and contribute to, the county Child Exploitation Board which ensures the voice of young people is heard by a variety of professional bodies in Hampshire.

CASE STUDY: AMELIA PAYNE, 15

The priority I have focused on is unhealthy relationships, and I have visited Portsmouth Attendance Centre to work with young offenders and been able to do workshops with them about the importance of consent, as well as identifying what is a healthy and unhealthy relationship.

Through the year I have been able to attend Youth Commission events all over Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth taking me to places I’d never been before. My confidence has built throughout the year which has subsequently improved my school work! I am incredibly proud of my work this year and can’t wait to see what the next year holds within the Youth Commission!

Priority 3 - Anti-Social Behaviour OUR AIMS WERE TO: •

Raise awareness of what anti-social behaviour is

•

Educate young people and adults on the cause and effect of anti-social behaviour and how that leads to communal stereotyping

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Promote existing free and low cost opportunities for young people

“In order to prevent and reduce anti-social behaviour, we need to first build a stronger relationship between the different ages in local communities” Elizabeth Bridges, 16. “Anti-social behaviour is very often the start of a much bigger problem which is why it is so important to try and tackle the issue straight away”. Alex Anderson, 18

ACTIONS •

created a workshop and ran it with Prince’s Trust groups, Scouts and those working with Young Offending Teams

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created a database of open access free or low cost summer diversionary activities which were compiled on our website and promoted through a campaign called Summer’s Sorted!

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ran polls on social media, and posted images on Instagram exploring stereotypes

VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES “It can be intimidating and can upset many people, but not many people know what it is. More awareness of what counts as anti-social behaviour is needed”. “There are no places for kids and teens to go to after school for leisure, so they hang out on the streets. So many children are without safe activities to engage with outside of school” “Too many young people are assumed to be troublesome in games when hanging out in parks or public spaces.” “Anti-social behaviour makes the area that I live in more unappealing to me and everyone else around. It makes certain areas feel unsafe, especially when you are walking on your own”

PRIORITY 3 - ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

Members;

FINDINGS 25% of young people we spoke to told us this was their top priority. Our findings have revealed that there is a misconception in the understanding of antisocial behaviour and its definition, heavily based on the stereotypes that only teenagers and young adults cause these issues. This creates stigma around the behaviour of young people in their communities. Many don't know how to solve and report anti-social behaviour in their area due to a lack of awareness. All recommendations are based on solutions given by young people in the Big Conversation.

RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Solving misconceptions Many adults and young people aren't aware of what the term ‘anti-social behaviour’ actually means. Responses to the Big Conversation included stories of violent crime, bullying and isolating behaviour. Therefore more education is needed around clarifying the meaning to people of all ages through targeted workshops and campaigns. 2. Diversion as a solution

PRIORITY 3 - ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

Many praised activities ran throughout school holidays, such as Gosport Summer Passport. Findings from Summer's Sorted! show that young people want an affordable and more permanent solution that appeals to them, where they can socialise and meet new people.

3. Beating the stereotypes There is still some stereotyping attached to the concept of ‘anti-social behaviour’. Many believe that it is solely caused by the harmless activities of teenagers. We believe the term ‘anti-social behaviour’ has negative connotations due to these associations and that it needs to be replaced. 4. Reporting We have found that people would like to be able to report anti-social behaviour in person to the police, along with wanting CCTV and stop and search to help make them feel safer. However, additional signposting is also needed to show that reporting online and to a local council are viable options.

Case study: Sarah Arnold, 16 I joined the Youth Commission in December 2017 after I saw a poster advertising applications at my school. My work as a Volunteer Police Cadet sparked my interest in our justice system and improving the relationship between the police and the public, making Youth Commission seem like the perfect match for me. I remember turning up to the assessment evening, anxious, yet excited for the chance to join the team. However, as soon as my interview started, I felt relaxed and at ease, chatting to the approachable members as if I had known them for years. Nearly two years later, I have made so many new friends through the Youth Commission, whom I enjoy working with and chatting to. I look back on our assessment evening and realise how much more confident I am in speaking in front of new people due to the networking skills that I have now learnt. I first joined the Cyber Safety team, and spoke in front of Portsmouth City Council, Victim Support, Hampshire Constabulary and many other organisations interested in listening to the youth voice. This year, I am on the Anti-Social Behaviour team. I enjoyed helping to design our new branding that appears on our Big Conversation cards and choosing merchandise to distribute at events. We have been working on dispelling common stereotypes that people have about the demographics involved in anti-social behaviour. We have also been busy signposting activities held by youth groups in Hampshire with our “Summer’s Sorted” page.

Outside of our events, I have distributed our Big Conversation cards in my school and my cadet group. I have also created content for our social media platforms, encouraging our followers to fill in the Big Conversation survey online. Through the Youth Commission, I have been able to make an impact in my community in a way that I had never even considered before. I would like to say thank you to Lynne, Michael, Casey and all of the mentors for making Youth Commission such an enjoyable organisation to be part of!

CASE STUDY: SARAH ARNOLD, 16

In June, I was lucky enough to be able to speak to the Chief Executive of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Susannah Hancock, explaining to her the work that we do at the Youth Commission.

Something else FINDINGS When looking at the Big Conversation cards that young people completed, 11% of them thought that none of the three current priorities were on the top of their list. The “something else category” prompted people to identify and expand on other issues they thought urgent. There were a plethora of answers to choose from, however the four main themes below kept coming up repeatedly. Perhaps most surprising were the ideas of young people on how to tackle these issues as they more or less circled around being kind to each other, “spreading the love”, being empathetic and helping others, and of course more policing and safety measures from the government.

MAIN THEMES: 1. Mental Health 2. Bullying 3. Fear of Terrorism 4. Knife Crime

WAYS TO TACKLE THESE ISSUES: 1. Be kind to each other and help people 2. Speak out, report and get help, as well as stronger punishments in place 3. More policing and more safety measures and equipment 4. The implementation of trusted adults for vulnerable young people “I feel sometimes frightened to walk through the streets because I feel like someone is going to hurt [me]”

SOMETHING ELSE

“Young people are suffering from a criminal lack of involvement from services and provisions. This leads to all of the issues listed above (substance misuse, unhealthy relationships, and anti-social behaviour) and potentially starts off a self-fulfilling cycle as they struggle to from meaningful relationships from the next generation to look up to”

Moving forward As the Youth Commission embarks on a new year with new members it remains committed to gathering the views of young people, raising awareness and working with partners such as Hampshire Constabulary and the criminal justice system, to improve the community we live in and to make people safer. The recommendations in this report, coupled with the strategy, will increase reach and further embed the Youth Commission and its work in the office of the PPCC, Constabulary, and criminal justice system. Members would like to update on Cyber Ambassadors, which was a recommendation from the previous report, Cyber Ambassadors, which has been expanded even further. Funding has been secured to employ a coordinator to roll out the scheme to more schools, colleges and youth organisations. To date 26 primaries, 1 special and 19 secondary schools, and due to demand the scheme has been adapted and delivered in a college too. #GoFISH cyber safety sessions have also been delivered to Police Cadet units, youth clubs and children in care. “Another positive year with the Youth Commission, being the volunteer and helping run the project with Lynne, I get to see the hard work that everyone puts into their priority groups. It's definitely true that team work makes the dream work. I'm looking forward to what next year's Youth Commission will be like” Casey Taylor, OPCC Volunteer

MOVING FORWARD

“I am excited to implement the new strategy that has been developed for the Youth Commission, embedding and improving the reach of their work. Thank you to all the members who give their time and to all our partners who willingly open their doors to us year after year” Lynne Meechan, Youth Commission Project Officer

Our Partners 2019 •

Active Communities Network

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Portsmouth University

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Basingstoke College of Technology

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Portsmouth Youth Offending Team

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Brockenhurst College

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Child Exploitation Board – pan Hampshire

Prince’s Trust; Basingstoke Gosport, New Forest and Southampton teams

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Queen Marys College

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Children’s Society

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Rock Challenge

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Farnborough College of Technology

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Safe Date

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Farnborough Sixth Form

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Scout association

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Fareham College

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Gosport Community Safety Partnership

Southampton Children’s Safeguarding Board

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Highbury College

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Southampton University

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Hampshire Children’s Safeguarding Partnership

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Southampton Solent University

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Southampton Youth Offending Team

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Hampshire Constabulary

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Stacey Miller Consultancy

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Hampshire Youth Network

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Totton and Eling AFC

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Hampshire Youth Offending Team

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Unloc

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Isle of Wight College

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Victim Support

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Isle of Wight Youth Offending Team

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Volunteer Police Cadets

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Motiv8

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Winchester University

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North East Hants Domestic Abuse Forum

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Yellow Door

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PARCS

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YServices for Young People

OUR PARTNERS 2019

And appreciation to staff at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

contact us If you would like to know more about the Youth Commission or register your interest in becoming a member please contact: Email: opcc@hampshire.pnn.police.uk Tel: 01962 871 595

HantsYouthCommission

@HantsYC

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton

St. Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chambers St. Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Street Winchester Hampshire SO23 8AJ

giving young people a voice join the conversation!

hampshire-pcc.gov.uk/youthcommission