A group of SEND students from Years 7 – 11 at Fulford School have been involved in discussing and feeding back to York City Council how the city could become more inclusive for all people with additional needs.
The session was completed by 471 young people aged 4-21 years old with representatives from children and young people with additional needs.
This is the Fulford school pupil’s 12 ideas, with the final 12 ideas that have been collated by young people across the city, below.
All of the ideas from around the city were collated into one list of raw ideas from young people. York’s Youth Council then comprised the final 12 from this vast list and this was the outcome:
1. Allow everyone to have more access to safe and quiet spaces in York
2. More access to defibrillators around York
3. Rules enforced by police in different areas and maps in many forms of languages around York (foreign languages, braille etc.)
4. More zebra crossings and lower speed limits around schools
5. Visits from the council in schools to discuss future proposals so the young people know what is going on and can have an input
6. More youth spaces/places to go to do things. E.g. parent cooking courses/craft workshops/inclusive and safe parks/social areas
7. Plant trees and have more green spaces as much as possible in all new developments in York
8. More benches in York around the new trees to support socialising and encourage children to spend time outside in the centre
9. Introduce a healthy food scheme
10. Make GPs/Hospitals more friendly, inclusive and inviting
11. More education on life skills and preparing for adulthood to support a successful future for young people in York
12. Improve the utility of technology in a positive way while making children and young people aware of the dangers
It is very interesting to see what our young people deem important and we strongly believe that these areas need to be considered to ensure that we are listening to the young people of York.