Youth council to give kids a voice

ROYAL BOROUGH: A youth council is set to launch in Windsor and Maidenhead so that young people can have more of a say on the future of the borough.

At a cabinet meeting on Thursday, February 25, councillors voted to establish a youth council, with many members speaking positively about the plans to involve young people more in decision-making processes.

Introducing the proposal, Councillor Stuart Carroll (Con, Boyn Hill), cabinet member for education, said: “For young people, this is an opportunity to learn new skills, confidence building, working in teams, a lot of those social skills which are so important when young people enter the workforce.

“There’s nothing but positive impacts from this proposal, the positive impact to get young people more involved in the local community and local democracy has to be a good thing.”

“Once upon a time in another life I was the chair of the previous youth council, so it has been an enjoyable experience and a rewarding experience working with the next generation of young people who are looking to get engaged in the policies that shape their area.

“There’s a lot of passion on issues to show that next generation of leadership for our young people.”

Once formed, the council would be involved in national youth issues as well as council business.

Representatives from the council would initially be taken from existing youth groups in the area, including The Girls Policy Forum, Kickback, Youth Ambassadors, the Esteem Project and SEN Life Skills Group.

The plans also received support from across the chamber, but Cllr Gurch Singh (Lib Dem, St Mary’s) warned all members that they ought to set a better example with their own conduct following a number of controversial comments at meetings of late.

He said: “We have really got to set an example with these kids, we are supposed to be role models in this council.

“All these little digs at each other in meetings, little jibes, it’s not really fair, and kids do pick up on this sort of stuff. Let’s go with the spirit of what we’re saying, actions speak louder than words, and let’s work together across the chamber because we can learn a lot of stuff from these kids.

“I’m going to set a real good example for these guys to follow, and I hope everyone in this chamber does.”

ALL AREAS: The publisher of the Slough & Windsor Express, Baylis Media, has teamed up with Kindred to offer financial support for charities struggling during the pandemic.

At a time where charity incomes have been devastated by the cancellation of massparticipation and other fundraising activities, a recent survey found 83 per cent of good causes say their income has been hit, while demand for services increased by 75 per cent.

The donation process has now become effortless thanks to the introduction of the ‘Baylis Media Clever Shopping Companion’.

Shoppers will gain access to discounts and cash back on a variety of brands, and have the option to donate to a charity special to them.

To use Baylis Media Clever Shopping Companion, download it by visiting www.kindred. charity/baylismedia and add it to your laptop or desktop browser.

Any time you shop at more than 25,000 brands you can earn cash back, which you can donate all or just a portion of to a charity of your choice.

Once you have signed up for an account, you can shop away and the extension will automatically collect the cash back.

This is collected in your account and a percentage is donated to a charity, while another percentage is available to withdraw.

On average, cash back sits at just under 10 per cent, which means you can donate almost £10 for every £100 you spend.

Those who install the extension will also be entered into a £250 prize draw.

Head of commercial at Baylis Media, Nicola Rogers, said:

“Here at Baylis Media we are always looking at great opportunities for our communities.

“This seemed like a perfect fit with our business, giving our readers the opportunity to purchase branded gifts at a discount and donate to a charity at the same time.”