County Hall in Taunton joined landmarks around the world in lighting up blue to commemorate World Children’s Day.
On 20 November, the Somerset Council building joined schools and other buildings, including the Eiffel Tower and Chichen Itza, celebrating the global day of action from UNICEF for children, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The theme for UNICEF’s World Children’s Day this year is ‘listen to the future, stand up for children’s rights’.
The Somerset Children and Young People’s Plan sets out a shared vision to keep children and young people in Somerset safe and ensure they can grow up in a child friendly county that supports them to be happy, healthy and prepared for adulthood. Shaped by the voices of 6,000 children and young people across the county, the plan takes a whole family approach and provides clear direction to enable us to work together on shared priorities in order to support our families to be strong, resilient and achieve long-term change and stability so that children can thrive and succeed.
Cllr Heather Shearer, Lead Member for Children, Families and Education, said:
At a time where many children’s rights are being misunderstood or disregarded, it is important to do what we can to raise awareness and ensure the voices of children are heard. I am proud to be part of a county that offers so many opportunities for young people to share their opinions on both local and national issues and I look forward to seeing how the Somerset Children and Young People’s Plan will help us expand our reach and support even more children.
Abigail Amponsah, member of the Youth Parliament advisory group and Youth Forum, said:
It’s more than crucial that children are involved in shaping their own future. Being involved in both Youth Parliament and Youth Forum shows me just how many people really care, community fighting for community and families fighting for the future of their kids is where hope sparks and change is in the brew.
Somerset offers many youth voice groups, including the Somerset in Care and Somerset Leaving Care Council (SiCC and SLCC), The Unstoppables (a group for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities aged 13 to 25 years), Youth Parliament and Youth Forum. These groups are heard on a local and national stage and have led to positive change in the county.
For more information about youth voice groups, visit the Council’s Young peoples voice page.
For more information on the Somerset Children and Young People’s Plan, visit the Council’s Somerset children and young peoplesplan page.
