Oxford City Council has announced plans to support under 25s in Oxford with a range of new and existing strategies aimed at enriching young people’s lives.
The council outlined on Wednesday how their Children and Young People’s Strategy will replace the council’s current Youth Ambition Strategy and Children and Young People’s Plan.
The aim is to work alongside their partners to support the work of the Children’s Trust, whilst ensuring safeguarding and support of schools.
They went on detail the funding that will occur over the five-year time period, which for the first time will include support for under-fives, and will increase the use of leisure and community centres by young people, amongst other things.
A new framework, ‘Ready by 21’, has also been introduced as part of the strategy which focusses on a collaboration with groups that are important to a young person’s journey into adulthood, such as schools and community groups.
The scheme aims for three main outcomes for children and young people: ‘Healthy & Safe’ advocates living healthily and social and mental wellbeing, ‘Connected’ aims to ensure positive identity and relationship with cultural competence, and ‘Productive’ which focuses on learning and academic accomplishments.
Three of the most ‘in-need’ areas in Oxford will be focussed on first, a scheme the Council have dubbed ‘zoning’, with the first ‘zone’ being a triangular area including East Oxford, Cowley and Blackbird Leys. The focus of ‘Ready 21’ will initially mainly be directed there.
Councillor Christine Simme, Executive Board Member for Supporting Local Communities, stated “I very much welcome this new initiative.
“By listening to young people and those who work with them, we hope that this strategy will lead to stronger communities, a joined up approach to our services and better opportunities for all young people in our city”.
Three videos can be found on the City Council’s YouTube page which features interviews with youth workers, families and young people to illustrate these aims and detail upcoming and current projects that the Children and Young People’s Strategy is involved with.
