Meeting with the Mayor

On 5 June, the Mayor, Boris Johnson and the Peer Outreach Workers Team had their second meeting. James Cleverly, Ambassador for Young People and Pam Chesters, Advisor on Health and Youth Opportunities also took part.

Peer Outreach Workers are employed by the Greater London Authority (GLA) on casual basis to lead and support youth related projects. They work with government bodies including the police and health to improve services for young Londoners. Most of the team are also studying and some have part-time jobs.

In the meeting, Boris asked the young people how they were affected by the credit crunch. The key points they put forward were that:

Jobs that young people would normally take up are being filled with older people who may have lost their jobs or need some extra money.
They could tell local businesses were tightening their belts and this reduced opportunities for student and part-time jobs.
Young people often have not been given relevant training in how to handle money, and they believe if it were given it would improve their ability to budget.

The Peer Outreach Workers team took the chance to update Boris on all the projects they are involved in. These included:

You’re Welcome - aimed at making health services young people friendly. This includes sending “mystery shoppers” to a few clinics to assess them.
Kickz - gets young people involved in sports through organising matches and events. The Peer Outreach Worker Team supported setting up the Kickz Youth Board.
Young Inspectors Project - 15 month project based on inspecting local authorities children and young people’s plans to service for Young Londoners with a disability
Safer London Foundation - A project to help adults, police officers, police community safety officers and the safer neighborhood panels in engaging with young people.

The meeting was very useful for the Mayor and his team, and valued by the young people. There are plans for these to take place regularly.

For more information about the Peer Outreach Workers Team, or if you are interested in applying to join, please contact Rebecca Palmer.

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		Meeting with the Mayor On 5 June, the Mayor, Boris Johnson and the Peer Outreach Workers Team had their second meeting. James Cleverly, Ambassador for Young People and Pam Chesters, Advisor on Health and Youth Opportunities also took part. Peer Outreach Workers are employed by the Greater London Authority (GLA) on casual basis to lead and support youth related projects. They work with government bodies including the police and health to improve services for young Londoners. Most of the team are also studying and some have part-time jobs. In the meeting, Boris asked the young people how they were affected by the credit crunch. The key points they put forward were that: Jobs that young people would normally take up are being filled with older people who may have lost their jobs or need some extra money. They could tell local businesses were tightening their belts and this reduced opportunities for student and part-time jobs. Young people often have not been given relevant training in how to handle money, and they believe if it were given it would improve their ability to budget. The Peer Outreach Workers team took the chance to update Boris on all the projects they are involved in. These included: You’re Welcome - aimed at making health services young people friendly. This includes sending “mystery shoppers” to a few clinics to assess them. Kickz - gets young people involved in sports through organising matches and events. The Peer Outreach Worker Team supported setting up the Kickz Youth Board. Young Inspectors Project - 15 month project based on inspecting local authorities children and young people’s plans to service for Young Londoners with a disability Safer London Foundation - A project to help adults, police officers, police community safety officers and the safer neighborhood panels in engaging with young people. The meeting was very useful for the Mayor and his team, and valued by the young people. There are plans for these to take place regularly. For more information about the Peer Outreach Workers Team, or if you are interested in applying to join, please contact Rebecca Palmer. Go to top of page