Current Projects

Sexual harassment is something that affects many young people. According to a recent YouGov survey almost three-quarters of young people have witnessed sexual harassment on a night out. The YouGov poll of 2,013 young people found nearly two-thirds (63%) of women and more than a quarter (26%) of men said they had been on the receiving end of sexual harassment. Within the Children’s & Young People’s Board team many of us have witnessed or been on the receiving end of some form of sexual harassment at school or in a public space. However, when this has been reported within schools they seem unequipped to deal with this adequately.

We would like to ensure that all young people in Central Bedfordshire are able to report any incidents of sexual harassment and know that it will be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately. We are therefore working with young people and schools to ensure that there is a good policy in place and followed by staff to ensure that children & young people in all schools can feel safe in their schools and communities.

We will keep this page up to date with any progress, surveys, or information of how you could help with this campaign.

Gangs, drugs, and community safety is a problem that many young people in different parts of Central Bedfordshire are facing and many of us have witnessed drug taking or gang violence within our communities.

However, part of the problem is that all young people are being stereotyped as a problem which is beginning to effect everyone.  This has created a very negative community perception of young people and contributes to people feeling unsafe even though most young people wouldn’t be a problem.

The Children’s & Young People’s Board want to challenge this.

Some of the Young People in our group are arranging a meeting with Shefford’s Town Mayor and the police to explore the problem more. We are also trying to challenge the stereotype through a young people led positive action project to demonstrate that not all Young People are a problem.

We are currently trying to support different towns in Central Bedfordshire to have regular town council engagements and for young people to create activities which benefit the wider community. We think that by creating positive young people groups in every community that we can challenge the stereotypes attached to young people and help make our communities safer for everyone.

If you would like to get involved in creating a positive Youth action group in your community please get in touch via the contact form below.