Participation Works

Young people across the country took over the jobs of adults as part of Children's Commissioner's Takeover Day 2011.

Takeover Day gives children and young people the chance to work with adults for the day and be involved in decision-making. Children benefit from the opportunity to experience the world of work and make their voices heard, while adults and organisations gain a fresh perspective on what they do.

Six members from National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) national youth forum, ENVOY, were appointed important roles, helping to run the organisation and take part in making key decisions. The roles they were given were spread across the organisation allowing them to get an insight into the different roles and responsibilities within NCVYS.

They had the chance to speak with staff members to find out about their backgrounds, experiences and skills and spent the day attending meetings, preparing newsletters, making important calls, making organisational decisions and more.

Leo McIntyre, ENVOY member from the South West region said, "today has been a long and tiring but fun day, I’ve learnt a lot about the role of Chief Executive Officer and how small decisions can make a big difference."

The National Children’s Bureau, welcomed Finn Halligan aged 15 from Woodford Green, to take over the role of Chief Executive and Ortega Yoloye aged 10 from Lewisham, to take over the role of Deputy Chief Executive for the day.

Finn had a busy day of meetings and activities including: a teleconference about Anti-Bullying Week in England and Northern Ireland; giving his perspective on the National Children’s Bureau’s strategic plan; and meeting with staff from different parts of the organisation.

Finn commented: "It’s not everyday that you get a chance to step into the role of Chief Executive and I’ve had a unique experience of what a job like this entails."

Dr Hilary Emery, who was replaced by Finn for the day said, "Finn’s really brought a new perspective to the role and his energy and enthusiasm has been greatly appreciated. The adult world can often assume they know what children think and what is best for them; Takeover Day is a great opportunity for the National Children’s Bureau’s to learn first hand about young people’s views on the work we do."

Nationa Youth Agency hosted a young person calld Sara from Leicester who worked on their Think Big Programme.

Amongst the thousands of other organisations taking part were BBC Radio 1, Metro, Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

Tue, 15/11/2011 - 17:36