The Junior Start Well Board is a group of young people in Powys, between the ages of 11 – 17 years, who meet regularly to talk about issues facing children and young people. The Junior Board Start Well Members listen to friends and peers, as well as bringing any personal experiences, so we are able to build a picture of what it is like for a young person growing up in Powys. The group members take the time to meet directly with services, to tell them what young people have said.  Sometimes this means telling services what is working really well, or perhaps what isn’t working quite so well, and what may need to change, and really providing an opportunity for young people in Powys to have a voice.

We are looking to recruit new young members across Powys and would be very grateful if you could spread the word with the young people you work with. We want the group to be as representative as possible, and really want to be able to gather the views of young people with different experiences. I have attached a poster and application forms, and if you have anyone who is interested, I would be happy to meet with them first to talk through what it means to be a Junior Start Well Member. Here are some quick examples of some of the work they have been involved with recently.  

• Survey to all young people after covid asking them about access to emotional health services in Powys – the results of this were presented to the Start Well Board who are responsible for decision making around children and families. These results are still ongoing and being discussed today. This survey influenced decisions such as returning school nurses to school after covid.
• Offering an Emotional Health Wellbeing assembly from a national mental health charity to all secondary schools in Powys.
• Looking to set up a Youth Café model in response to emotional health and wellbeing survey – piloting a youth café idea in Newtown in a response to need for safe spaces for young people to meet and socialise outside of school and college.
• Setting up an older group of 18 – 25-year-olds to make sure that their experiences are also represented.

Poster to advertise below.