Ryedale student is the youngest member of North Yorkshire’s Youth Commission
At 14, Welburn Hall School pupil Dawid Badwoski has become the youngest recruit to this year’s North Yorkshire Youth Commission.
Funded by North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan’s Community Fund, the Youth Commission was set up to help the way the police tackle issues affecting young people.
David, from Kirkbymoorside, is one of 36 volunteers aged 14 to 25 who will carry out a major consultation exercise in events at colleges, youth clubs and other venues across the county in order to gather the views of more than 1,500 young people.
The issues they will discuss are:
- Hate crime
- Abusive relationships
- Drug and alcohol
- Vulnerability and mental health
- Relationships with the police
- Young people missing from home and at risk of exploitation.
Dawid said: “What the police do and how they affect the lives of young people is important and I was to help them do it really well.
“Their job is to enforce the law but they need to understand young people too. The Youth Commission has been set up to help them do that.”
The Youth Commission was piloted last year and after a major consultation with young people across the area, it presented the police with a report which included key recommendations.
This year’s Youth Commission will build on that work and explore new areas of interest or concern for young people.
Police and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire Julia Mulligan said: “I instigated the Youth Commission because it was clear from my work in drawing up the Police and Crime Plan that the views of children and young people were not being heard as they should be. The members of the Commission are all volunteers and I thank them wholeheartedly for getting behind this project with so much enthusiasm.
“This is the second year of the Commission in North Yorkshire and we are already seeing its emerging influence within North Yorkshire Police with its members giving talks about youth issues to new recruits and influencing the force’s approach in a range of ways.
“I’m thankful for their time, energy and commitment and look forward to another year of reaching out to engage with hundreds more young people on policing issues.”