Youth Council launches anti-poverty campaign (From York Press)

Youth Council launches anti-poverty campaign

7:51am Friday 1st June 2012 in News By Haydn Lewis, haydn.lewis@thepress.co.uk

POVERTY was top of the agenda at a meeting of York’s Youth Council.

Millthorpe School, in South Bank, played host to the Youth Council, which brought together head teachers, school councils, school bursars and caterers to look at how they can all work together to improve the situation for pupils across the city’s schools and colleges.

It saw the launch of the Youth Council’s anti-poverty campaign, something members have been working hard on for the past year.

It aims to look at ways of addressing poverty among young people in York, following reports that 4,705 children and young people in the city were living in poverty in 2009.

Youth councillors developed a resource pack for schools to support them in developing a guide on how to help reduce the costs of school uniform, and increasing awareness and take up of free school meals.

The pack was launched at the event. Katie Walker, chairman of York Youth Council, said: “We hope that by working with schools to make small changes to school uniforms and in the system for allocating free school meals outlined in our best practice guides, we can help to take the pressure off families in poverty.”

Pete Dwyer, director of adults, children and education at City of York Council, said: “I welcome the focused work of the Youth Council and congratulate them on their willingness to make a real difference on such significant issues.

“I am confident that their work and recommendations will be seriously considered across the school community.”