“Do you want to make a difference and improve the lives of young people in Sandwell?”
Join SHAPE Youth Forum and start making a change!
WHAT IS THE SHAPE YOUTH FORUM?
The SHAPE Youth Forum is an integral part of the Sandwell’s child’s voice initiative, the SHAPE Programme. It is a valuable tool to involve young people in continuing development of the borough of Sandwell. Members provide a voice for young people across Sandwell and have been consistently used as a consultative body for various initiatives concerning young people.
WHAT DOES THE SHAPE YOUTH FORUM DO?
- Acts as an open forum for young people to come together to share experiences, views and discuss issues relevant to them
- Acts as a consultation, advice and discussion body for the SHAPE Programme where organisations and institutions can come and listen to young people to change services to suit their needs
- A place where young people start to learn to debate
- Organises a wide range of activities, programmes and events throughout the year, including the annual SHAPE Summer Fest and SHAPE Your Talent.
- Two Youth Police Crime Commissioners are elected in Sandwell will be part of the forum and will join the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s Youth Commission to look at community safety issues including Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), radicalisation and prevent.
- Two Members of Youth Parliament and Two Deputy Members of Youth Parliament will be elected and become part of forum and will join British Youth Council representing Sandwell.
If you have a keen interest in politics and would like to have your voice heard locally and nationally, then joining SHAPE Youth Forum is a great opportunity for you to represent your community.
SHAPE Youth Forum has now been in operation for 5 years and emerged from the former Youth Parliament in Sandwell.
The Forum meets fortnightly from 6pm-8pm on Thursdays (refreshments provided). We request that all members of SHAPE Youth Forum commit to attending at least one meeting a month. For any additional SHAPE events and activites on different dates Forum members will be notified in advance.
Currently forum meetings take place virtually using Microsoft Teams from 6.30pm to 8pm. Previously face to face meetings took place at the Oldbury Council House. Once lockdown has been relaxed we will be reviewing our meeting locations.
The Forum is supported by:
Neesha Patel – SHAPE Project Manager
Tariq Karim – Youth Services Manager
Asha Lawrence – SHAPE Project Support Officer.
For any other enquiries email shape_events@sandwell.gov.uk.
Jay Mansell – Chair of SHAPE Youth Forum
“As chair of SHAPE Youth Forum, I have been given so many opportunities to represent the voices of young people within Sandwell. I first joined when I was campaigning to be MYP and found that SHAPE was where I could truly make a difference on a local level with organisations that operate in Sandwell for Sandwell young people”
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
TO APPLY TO BE A PART OF SHAPE YOUTH FORUM…
- You need to download and complete the ‘New Members Consent Form for Photography & Filming’ here
- Click here to complete the online form with all of your information here
- This will go directly to SHAPE, and you will shortly receive a reply from us!
