Youth lessons (From Gazette Series)

Youth lessons

CATERING for the needs of young people in Wotton-under-Edge had local council leaders on their hands and knees this week.

At the youth liaison forum held last week representatives from the town's groups and organisations spent several hours completing team-building exercises in an attempt to remove existing barriers between the young and old in the community.

Churches, schools, uniformed organisations, the youth club, Wotton's Police Community Support Officer Tracey Wren and officials from Stroud District Council spent the session discussing what facilities the town had to offer young people and what needed to be improved.

Ideas discussed included a skate park, a sports complex and the impending opening of Wotton's own cinema.

Cllr Paul Smith said: "It was great because it has answered the questions without directly asking the questions and putting people on the spot."

Chair of the youth liaison group in Wotton, Cllr June Cordwell, said: "It has really got everyone thinking."

The consultation was run by the Stroud Peer Education Project - a group of young people from the Stroud district area including Wotton, Berkeley and Dursley who lead workshops like the forum on Tuesday nights around the county.

Led by Mike Haddock, from the Stroud Rural Youth Project, the team of approximately 16 youngsters give talks on a variety of topics including drug awareness, sex education and providing facilities for the youth.

The Wotton forum was hailed a success and now local figureheads will wait for a report on the meeting's outcomes to take forward in the town.

Steve Miles, head of Wotton Youth Club, said: "I think tonight has been great. "I think it was excellent to bring all these different people together to talk about young people and their needs.

"I can't wait to take forward the findings and get started on youth provisions for the town."