Who Are Sefton's YAs?

Now Then : ) My name's Kim, I'm 20 from St.Oswalds and I've been a Young Advisor for over two years and I'm going to tell you about my time as a YA. When I first started Young Advisors, I was not the best behaved of people and I didn't like authority or people in suits, as this made me feel out of my comfort zone but Young Advisors have supported me in getting over this and I now sit in meetings with my hoodie on and I am respected for who I am as a person, not what I am wearing and I show the same respect to people in the meetings who have different dress codes to me.

Hi, I'm Matt and I live in Litherland, South Sefton. I became a YA at the start of 2009 and haven't looked back. My work as a YA has taken me across England, working as a Young Ambassador for the national media charity MediaBox. My main plans as a YA are improving how efficiently money is spent in our communities, especially at this critical recovery period for our economy. Equally, education whether restricted to the classroom or otherwise, should cater for all abilities and increasing the accessibility of education to young people is one of my goals.

Hi I'm Emily and I decided to become a Young Advisor due to my passion for getting transport prices for young people lowered, as this is an issue that affects all young people across the Country. Littering across my area is also an issue that affects everyone in my community.

Hi I'm Becky and im currently at Hugh Baird College studying Childcare. I became a Young Advisor as my main interests are places to go and things to do for Young People and working with groups of Young People in my area. I also wanted to get involved in the media as I am interested in how the media works and the way it portrays young people and the way they are seen through the eyes of adults.

Hello, I'm Emily. I became a Young Advisor to banish negative images of young people and to make day to day life fairer for them. As a YA, i have worked with the childrens services in Sefton looking at participation principles for young people. I enjoy being a YA because you are offered lots of opportunities and taken more seriously.

I am Katy Russell. During my time as a Young Advisor so far, I have done lots of different types of work. When I first began, I focussed on the bullying issues within schools in Sefton. I have recently been working with the LSCB (Local Safeguarding Childrens Board) on making children's rights easier to understand for children and young people. Being a Young Advisor is a fantastic job, it gives you the opportunity to have an impact on your community as well as learn about the things that are affecting you everyday. I have learned that young people can make a difference and that there are so many decisions made for children and young people that Young Advisors can advise on.

I wanted to become a Young Advisor so that I can make a difference for Sefton's people and so that I can influence a better opinion of young people. I aim to make my community better for everyone. I also intend to do some work in my local area, and make a difference for everyone who lives there. I enjoy having calm debates with people, young and old.

My name is Sophia, and I live in Southport, North Sefton. I became a Young Advisor to make a difference to young people's lives in Sefton, and I am especially interested in working on the importance of mental and sexual health information, and working with young people with learning disabilities.

Hey :-) I am a young advisor for Sefton from Southport. I became a young advisor halfway through 2009, and it is ace! I haven’t been a young advisor for long but I have already met some really cool people and done some really good pieces of work with people. I wanted to become a young advisor to help young people make a difference in their own future. I am particularly interested in young carers and making a difference for them and the general health side of Sefton. I hope to see changes in these areas while I am a young advisor. :-)

Hey I’m Elena. I live in Crosby in central Sefton. I became a young advisor to help get young people within Sefton noticed for the right reasons. I would like to work towards changing our community’s perception towards young people for the better. I want to help get youths seen as a valuable asset rather than a liability.

Hi I'm Jenny and I'm from Maghull in Central Sefton. I became a young advisor earlier this year, as I have a passion to improve how young people are viewed and treated, especially in areas such as the police and medical services. I want to make sure young people in not only my area but across the whole of Sefton, get the chance to aspire to be what we want to be and get the opportunities they deserve.

Hi, I'm James, I'm 16 and I live in the Sudell ward of Maghull. I wanted to become a Young Advisor because I want young people to have a meaningful say into how services work for them. I'm currently at Sixth Form studying a set of fun-filled A-Levels, Maths, Further Maths, Business Studies, French and Psychology (sorry did I say fun? I mean painful!) In the future, I plan to study Business and Economics further, I am particularly enthusiastic about encouraging young entrepreneurship and making public transport more accessible to young people. So, in a nutshell, that's me!

Hi I'm Georgia, being a Young Advisor has not only introduced me to working life but has given me an insight into our changing community. This is a unique opportunity that has already proved beneficial to me and it's great to know I'm giving something back to society at the same time. I'm happy to take part in everything here, with a particular interest in the Youth Proofing service.

Hello I'm Brian and I'm from Bootle in South Sefton :) I became a Young Advisor early in the year and my aims are to make a positive contribution and make a difference in the community for young people. As a Young Advisor, it can open new doorways in how I can achieve this goal. The main issue that I want to tackle is the negative image that Young People get from the media and other people.