Southwark Youth Council rights

Charter of Rights

We have the right to:

• Be treated with respect
• Act as individuals
• A high standard of service
• Lead a healthy lifestyle

This involves us:

• Behaving appropriately
• Respecting ourselves and others
• Not endangering ourselves and others
• Contributing positively
• Being good and active citizens
• Learning about and respecting different cultures
• Striving to reach our full potential
• Maintaining and respecting our environment, home, school and community
• Recognising that we have a contribution to make to the global environment
• Using health and other services available to us
• Reporting neglect and abuse

Expectations of the Southwark youth council

• A responsibility to have respect for the views of young people. The best interests of young people are our priority
• To work with you to ensure the services you receive are appropriate to your needs and of good quality, by ensuring young people are involved in the decision making processes
• To work with you to try to make health and other community services accessible and appropriate for your needs
• To consult with Southwark young people using various methods, including group discussions, forum workshops questionnaires and one to one interviews
• These rights and responsibilities are enshrined in national and international law.  The links below will give you more information

• Convention on the Rights of the Child - United Nations
  Contains 54 articles on the rights of the child. Article 12 of the charter states that you have the right to say what you think should happen when adults are making decisions that affect you
• The Children Act 2004 also focuses on the need to listen to young people
• Every Child Matters and Youth Matters are the most recent government policies addressing the needs of young people. They list five outcomes which are key to well-being in childhood and later life: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being

Young people can also find out more by visiting need2know.