Young Ambassador's - Project Overview

During various discussions with young people during the past few years Warrington Disability Partnership have identified a need to set up a Project working with disabled young people and non-disabled young people to consult with young people and develop a package to deliver to schools, colleges and youth groups around disability, equality and diversity issues.

Around the same time that this need was identified Warrington Disability Partnership were approached by Leonard Cheshire to invite them on board with their In Touch Project; developing awareness to young people around sex and disability to schools, colleges and youth groups. This Project's aims were to consult with young people and develop a package by young people over a three year period with the end product being a DVD. This DVD would be available to be used as a method of delivering sex and disability awareness training or be watched in the privacy of their own home for any young person to find answers to any issues relating to sex and disability.

Warrington Disability Partnership already works with young people throughout a number of Projects:

• Volunteering - Young Citizens and Millennium Volunteers support us in a number of volunteering opportunities - Planet Blue Youth Club for young disabled people, Fundraising, Disability Awareness Day young stewards and sports zone, Disabled Inclusive Sports Club (DISC) and supporting our services with admin and customer service roles within the Centre for Independent Living, Disability Information Point at Warrington Retail Market and Shopmobility.
• Direct Payment Recipients - we have a number of young people using this service.
• Children's Equipment Showroom - we have a showroom area where we have a range of equipment and information that families and carers for disabled children can access by calling into the Centre for Independent Living.
• Planet Blue and DISC - anyone from the age of 11-24 can attend Planet Blue, which meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at the Peace Centre and anyone from the age of 7 upwards can attend DISC, which meetings weekly on a Wednesday at William Beaumont High School.

The aims of the Young Ambassadors Project is to:

1. Develop a team of Young Ambassadors to champion disability related issues and become peer role models.
2. Raise the profile of young disabled people and support them to remove barriers within mainstream adult and children's services.
3. Provide transitional support within health, social care, schools, colleges and youth groups.
4. Provide meaningful workplace opportunities.
5. Challenge stigma within education, social and workplace environments.

We have started to develop relationships with some schools and colleges by delivering presentations on disability awareness and opening dialogue with the young people about what they would like to have more information about, regarding disability.

By evaluating the feedback from the young people we will then build a disability awareness package with the aim of delivering it to all secondary schools and colleges around Warrington.