Children and Young People’s Partnership Board - January 2025 meeting presentations

The final presentation was from Gemma who helps support the With Me in Mind Ambassadors.  Their top priorities were Mental Health and Wellbeing, Safety in the Community (Building Stronger Communities) and Equal Access to resources (Inclusive Economy).

Gemma told us that With Me in Mind feel it’s important to feel safe and supported mentally to achieve things in other areas of our lives and said there should be a focus on supporting people with school and college stress, especially managing homework and schoolwork. It would be good if teaching staff also had a better understanding of this.

For safety in the community, With Me in Mind told us it was important to mention bullying and anti-social behaviour. It would be helpful if there was better street lighting and CCTV as well as more organised activities for people to do like going to Youth Clubs. Green spaces like parks should be clean and tidy and Safety Spots could be made available throughout Rotherham, where there is a trusted adult so young people can go to one if they feel unsafe when they are out. Perhaps more education on how bullying and anti-social behaviour effects the victim would help too.

Their last key priority was equal access to resources, as not everyone has lots of digital equipment and the other resources young people need to complete their work at home. It would be good if libraries could be modernised and made into nicer environments for young people to access so that they get equal opportunities. These could have books, digital equipment and stationery as well as information on services available for young people. It was thought that these could be called digital hubs, as it may help how young people perceive libraries. It was also mentioned that the adults that work there also need to understand who might come to use the space and stop judging groups of young people. Drop ins could also be held so young people don’t need to travel to lots of different places for different things and they could also be used to host clubs and taster sessions for young people to get involved in.