Your Town, Your Ideas, Your Future is a project developed by Eastbourne Schools Partnership to give young people a chance to explore how they could make their town a better place to live and visit.
The project started with a creative consultation event in June, attended by 89 young people from 8 Eastbourne secondary schools. Students shared their perceptions of the town with professionals working across ten different sectors which included the police, community development, sports, arts, transport and engineering, housing, business and volunteering, health and wellbeing and the digital sector.
Following that young people in each school have identified a project that they are passionate about. They met again in October, this time with experts who could help them develop their project further. In January 2019 they will present their ideas to an invited audience of potential supporters and partners.
Ideas include work on mental health support for young people, improving cycle paths – especially around schools, maintaining and expanding use of Paradise Park mountain bike area, clean air solutions for Eastbourne, an outdoor gym, a music festival, outdoor cinema, an ice rink and developing youth PRIDE event/s.
We asked young people at our last session what they were enjoying about the project,. They said; `the opportunity to have ideas, be proactive, put our ideas forward, and meet experts who are genuinely interested’. `We are developing good ideas that will improve a place we love already’.
The project had been developed by Culture Shift with support from 3VA the East Sussex Equalities and Participation team, the Chamber of Commerce and Lord Lucas, and his campaign for the Year of Engineering @engineering Eastbourne. Project meetings have been hosted by Eastbourne College.
Our Town was a fantastic event and is looking to be even more so as it progresses this year; it’s giving young people a say in the place we live in and in turn giving decision makers in the town input from one of the most influential groups in society- the young people.
Indya Jayne, Youth Cabinet member and student at Ratton School
What an absolutely brilliant concept today’s event was – bringing the ideas and enthusiasm of our youngsters together; ideas that can help transform our town. Just brilliant.
Stephen Lloyd MP
Schools involved: The Cavendish School, The Causeway School, The Eastbourne Academy, Eastbourne College, Gildredge House Free School, Roedean Moira House, St Catherine’s College, Ratton School and Willingdon Community School.