Social Value of Oldham:
YCllrs were visited by consultants from Social Value Portal, and a project manager from Muse.
Muse and Oldham Council have formed a long term partnership, in order to transform the town centre.
Their aim was to ask YCllrs of their opinion on the town centre as it is, and what they could do to fix it.
Already, they aim to deliver thousands of new, sustainable homes in the town centre, which will then contribute to the wider economy of Oldham.
To begin with, the visitors had questions prepared for the YCllrs, in order to get to know them and their role.
The questions were:
- What do you think your role is, being part of Oldham Youth Council?
- (As a follow up) What do you use to inform your decisions in representing young people?
- What are the goals of Oldham Youth Council?
- What is your engagement with Oldham Town Centre?
- What words would you use to describe Oldham Town Centre?
- Have you heard of social value before?
Next, the visitors did a brief introduction on what social value is, emphasising that it’s not just to do with buildings, but the new opportunities which will arise from them. They defined it as bringing new jobs into the area; supporting responsible regional businesses (not just those directly involved in the building work); creating a safer community which promotes good health and well-being; and providing cleaner, greener spaces while promoting sustainability.
After learning this, the YCllrs were asked if they could think of any examples of social value.
In the first activity, YCllrs were split into small groups to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the economy, the environment, and the social aspect of Oldham. This was then fed back to the whole group.
In the same groups, YCllrs were asked to create a social value plan, with each group focusing on a different theme. In order to do this, they had to keep in mind what their issue is; who is impacted and who will benefit from the intervention; and what will actually address the challenges.
This was fed back to the group, and each YCllr voted on which plan they liked the most.
The visitors then shared their next steps for the programme, and stated that there will be opportunities for the YCllrs to get involved by attending some public drop-in events with the project team, and become ambassadors for them.
Events and Trips:
22nd June – Youthforia, all those who put their name forward last meeting had to confirm if they still wanted to attend.
26th June – Youth Mayor Making (compulsory meeting for all YCllrs). This meeting will begin slightly earlier, so all YCllrs need to be at the Civic Centre for 5:45.
28th-29th June – 80k for 80 years walk to raise money for armed forces charities. YCllrs can no longer participate in the walk on the 28th; instead, those attending can prepare food for those walking, sleep out at the Civic Centre, and complete the walk on the Saturday. Those who volunteered themselves at the last meeting had to confirm if they still wanted to take part.
AOB:
Hassan – asked if there is a dress code for the Youth Mayor Making.
Adam – asking about the previously mentioned ambassador role, and what the selection progress for that will be.
Lucy, Niamh and Miranda – extending an updated invitation to all YCllrs to a feminist networking event centred around women in underrepresented roles. This will take place at Rock St on the 28th June 4:30-6:30pm.
Hassan – congratulating Tom, who took on the role of chair temporarily for this meeting.
