BYC Summer Conventions 2010

BOOKINGS FOR 2010 NOW CLOSED

The British Youth Council (BYC) is delighted to announce the dates and venues for BYC Summer Conventions.

Get together with other youth organisations to share your ideas and opinions, take part in creative workshops and pick up useful tips, tools and techniques to become a more effective Youth Councillor.

The British Youth Council is holding five one-day Conventions across the UK, so why not join us at a Convention taking place near you this summer?

Where are they?

• Belfast - 30th June 2010 
• London – 3rd August 2010
• Cardiff – 5th August 2010
• Glasgow – 10th August 2010
• York – 12th August 2010

What can I expect on the day?

• A choice of skills workshops.
• Time to meet and share ideas with other young people and youth workers
• A topical panel debate
• Lots of fun!

Who’s it for?
BYC Conventions are open to any youth organisation, whether a member of BYC or not.

How many young people can attend?
There are no limits on the amount of young people that can attend BYC Convention.

How much will it cost? ***It’s cheaper than last year!***

Special offer! Book before 31st May 2010
£46 per person or £25 for BYC member organisations.*

For bookings made from 1st June onwards.
£51 per person or £31 for BYC member organisations.*

Booking deadline: 30th June 2010. (Belfast 31st May)

Spaces at each event are limited, so book early to secure your place.

* Price reduction applies to new membership applications received by 31st May 2010 or current BYC members renewing their membership for 2010-11.

NEW for 2010 free support worker places

A limited number of free worker spaces are available depending on the amount of young people attending:

• Less than five young people = one free worker place
• Between six and ten young people = two free worker places
• Between 11 and 15 young people = three free worker places

Become a BYC member from just £54

Special membership offer: renew your membership or become a BYC member before 31st May and we’ll send you a free Youth at the Table pack which includes everything needed to provide training sessions to support young people’s involvement in governance!

Membership of BYC starts from £54 a year, so if your organisation is planning to book three or more places, it may be cheaper to join! Benefits of becoming part of our diverse, engaged and active community of members include discounted training for your organisation, regular newsletters, priority consultation on national campaigns and policy issues and a say in the overall direction of BYC at our Annual Council Meeting (on 4th September 2010 in Manchester). For more information visit www.byc.org.uk/members.

How can I book places?

For more information call the Convention hotline on 020 7785 6460 or email darren.matthews@byc.org.uk.

2009 Convention Report 

Former BYC Trustee Tom attended the Belfast and Glasgow Conventions last year. Here's his full report:

"One (broken) aeroplane, two banners, three heavy bags and four flights (to get there and back)…BYC must be on tour! It was a real pleasure to join the BYC team in my role as a trustee representative at the BYC Conventions in Belfast and Glasgow this month.

BYC Conventions held in 2009 have been bigger and better than ever before; within two weeks we’ve run five events across the four nations of the United Kingdom. We’ve delivered training to 45 youth councils and over 250 young people from across our membership – and we’ve gathered their views on the issues that matter so they can have their say at our Annual Council Meeting on 5th September.

Highlights from Belfast include discussing cross-community efforts to combat sectarianism in Northern Ireland; it’s a humbling experience to realise just how hard young people in this community have to struggle in order to overcome the scars and deep divides of the recent past. And there are concerns that young people are once again the targets of paramilitary organisations looking to co-opt new and vulnerable members. In Glasgow, issues of youth unemployment and high rates of suicide underlined the importance of giving young people a sense of hope and a stake in their societies.

At the two panel debates, we welcomed elected representatives from local councils, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament in Westminster. Young people asked thoughtful and challenging questions and all the panellists were impressed with the quality of the discussions. At both events, I was delighted to see that there was a clear majority, both in terms of the panellists and the audience, who were in favour of reducing the voting age to 16. This is an issue on which BYC has led a high profile campaign and you can find out more about how the get involved here.

Finally, thanks must go to our partners the Northern Ireland Youth Forum and the Scottish Youth Parliament who helped to make these events such a success.

As always, it was fantastic to meet active young people who are making a difference by brining change to their communities. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our Annual Council Meeting this September."

1. BYC Conventions 2010 Brochure

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