Children and young people invited to enter Child Friendly Warwickshire competition
Children and young people in Warwickshire are invited to take on an artistic challenge to win £2,500 towards a Child Friendly Warwickshire project in their school.
Children and young people in the county are being invited to submit their ideas on what it means to be child friendly as part of the Child Friendly Warwickshire competition run by Warwickshire County Council.
The competition is open to any young person aged from 4 through to 21 who is in full-time education and lives or goes to school within the region. Following on from the first Warwickshire Youth Conference which took place last year, it is an opportunity for children and young people in the region to bring the five Child Friendly Warwickshire outcomes to life: being happy, healthy, heard, safe and skilled.
One winner from each of the four age categories will be chosen after the 27 February deadline to receive £2,500 from Child Friendly Warwickshire for their school or college to spend on projects related to these five outcomes and the themes from recent engagement with children and young people. The themes covered climate change and the cost of living, a desire for more open green spaces, access to mental health support, more opportunities such as clubs and activities and careers advice, and to see progress on the Safer Streets programme. The prize money could be used for something like planning a visit to a local nature reserve, improving an existing play area, hosting a wellbeing day with yoga classes, or even purchasing new equipment for clubs and activities.
The winners and runners-up in each category will also have their work showcased at the 2023 Warwickshire Youth Conference in November. Organised by young people, for young people, this event will offer a friendly and empowering environment to discuss important topics that are facing them today with organisations and individuals who are making a difference in the community, amplifying the voices of tomorrow to help shape the county.
Councillor Jeff Morgan, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families at Warwickshire County Council, said: “Anyone can be more child friendly, whether they are doing big things that impact the whole county, or smaller things that make an important difference to their local community. We know that children and young people can have fantastic imaginations, so we want to hear their ideas! The Child Friendly Warwickshire competition is a way for children and young people to learn more about Child Friendly Warwickshire through creativity, contribute to discussions about helping to make the county more child friendly and become advocates for positive change.
“We’re offering £2,500 to the winners’ schools because we believe that our communities have a vital role to play in making sure that all children and young people can be happy, healthy, heard, safe and skilled. We want to inspire children and young people to take action, supported by their schools, parents, carers and communities of course, and create lasting and positive change for their futures.”
For more details, including how to enter, please visit childfriendlywarwickshire.co.uk/childfriendlycompetition. The deadline for entries is 27 February. If you are interested in hearing more about Child Friendly Warwickshire, sign up to receive our quarterly newsletters or find out more about becoming a Friend.