<br>Young people in Islington will be taking an active role in National Youth Work Week and in some cases, will be literally taking over control of some services on Takeover Day.<br><br>National Youth Work Week runs from 3 – 7 November. Its aim is to celebrate the contribution of youth work to the development of young people and to highlight the positive roles played by young people in their communities. This year's theme is 'promoting the voice and influence of young people' and the finale of the week - Takeover Day - will give young people in Islington the chance to do just this. <br> <br>At the Zone Youth Project based at Holloway School, young people will take over the running of the boxing and sex education sessions for the day - with a senior youth worker on hand to support and advise them. Involvement from the young people will include taking an active role in planning, delivering and reviewing the work and also coming up with their own ideas on how to improve the sessions in the future.<br><br>Ursula Woolley, Islington Council's Executive Member for Children and Young People said: "National Youth Work Week is a great chance for us to recognise all the good things Islington young people take part in and the positive contribution they make. I know the young people who take charge on Take Over Day will make a real success of it and I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes. Islington Council invests a lot in youth work which encourages young people to get involved in their neighbourhood and have their say about local issues, so I'm delighted these big youth centres are getting involved in this project." <br><br>Users of the White Lion Youth Centre near Angel will also be getting involved in National Youth Work Week. Throughout the week they will be taking charge of registration and welcoming young people to the centre. They'll be planning, running and reviewing street dance sessions, leading the drama workshops and finishing the week by showcasing their film 'Reflections'. The film was produced by and about young people who use the White Lion Centre, exploring their views, opinions and ideas about the youth services on offer.<br><br>Guy Lawrence, an Area Manager of Islington's Youth Services said: "Take Over Day is a good idea because it promotes the voice and influence of young people. As part of the celebrations, young people are given the chance to participate in and comment on services that they choose to attend in their daily lives, have hands on experience and can influence change."<br><br>Islington invests around £5.5 million on youth services each year, with another £3 million coming from other organisations, making it comparatively one of the highest-spending authorities in the UK.<br><br>ENDS.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009