The Youth Panel Blog

Hear from our Panel members about their views and experiences whilst working on the Olympic legacy project.

Another exciting opportunity to meet our Mayor
and a tour of the Athletes Village

Athletes Village, Olympic Park, Stratford, London E20
then, City Hall, London, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1
3rd June 2011

“After a great visit to the Athletes Village, some of the Panel were privileged
enough to go to City Hall to meet our Mayor, Boris Johnson – for me, this was the third time I’d be going!

We made our way to London Bridge via the underground. The journey was rather exciting as I couldn’t wait to arrive and have the chance to see the Peer Outreach Team from the Greater London Authority (or GLA for short) and, of course, Boris again. We arrived at City Hall about midday and the sun was shining – Yay! We first met up with the Peer Outreach Group, politely interrupting their lunch! We then made our way to one of the meeting rooms in City Hall, where we met three other organisations/groups who were there to meet Boris and discuss their actions and seek information.

I found meeting the other groups very interesting and inspiring. For example, there were a group of young adults, based in Hackney, who volunteered their time to help children in care, providing them with love and support, something all children need but not all receive. I found this rather touching and inspiring, as it showed that people in London are willing to help others and give up their time to improve society overall.

And then Boris arrived – late in fact! Rushing through the door, Boris looked around and smiled at us all sitting in a huge circle excitedly awaiting his arrival. Unfortunately, we were only able to talk with him for roughly 10-15 minutes as he was indeed running late. The Panel was given the chance to discuss our recent tour of the Athletes’ Village, which he had himself been on a few weeks prior. When it was time for Boris to depart, the Panel quickly rushed outside to grab a quick photo with him before he rushed off. After that, some members of the Panel stayed behind to get an insight of the monthly meeting of the Peer Outreach Team.

Overall, the day was very enjoyable and I learnt a lot about the Park and London overall. It was inspiring meeting other organisations who were created to help the city improve and contribute to the legacy of the 2012 Games.”

Samantha Whitmore, 15, London Borough of Hackney, Panel member since 2011

Get Involved:
Discussing the Olympics with the London Assembly

City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1
1st June 2011

“We arrived at City Hall on a sunny day feeling very positive and possibly a bit daunted by the long day in front of us. We were led into the building and up to the Main Chambers and, being a bit of a Politics geek, this excited me quite a bit, I even asked my friend to try and take a sneaky photo of me on my phone but felt a little ashamed posing in front of everyone and so the idea was regretfully
abandoned after a few failed attempts.

The day was hosted by members of the Peer Outreach Workers (POW) and they immediately put us at ease. We were introduced to the basics of The House of Commons and The House Of Lords and many of our preconceptions about the two houses were shattered. We were quizzed on the two bodies and I am proud to say that we answered most of the questions correctly because we were thoroughly interested in the speakers (although I still say that the chocolate given to us for answering questions was only a bonus and not our motivation!) Next we sped down the spiralling corridors of City Hall for a quick five minute break after which we returned for a debate with four members of the London Assembly and by this time we were raring to have a good argument…sorry, I mean debate…about the issue which all members of the panel are so passionate about: the Olympics.

We were discussing whether ‘The Olympics would be good for London’ and were presented with many different arguments as the members of the Assembly were all from different parties, and I tried not to let my loyalties cloud my judgment. After opening statements, the floor was opened for questions and a number of the Youth Panel asked the Assembly how they would make sure the Olympics would be beneficial for us and also supported the Games when they were criticised. I must admit it is debatable whether we fully got through to everyone there as there was a vote before and after the debate and the “against” side actually gained votes after the discussion. However we will persist in our mission and make sure that the Olympics do have a positive legacy.

Altogether, the day was fun and informative, and we loved working with the POW team again, so thank you to them for being so welcoming. So, until next time – thanks for reading!”

Zosia Eyres, 17, London Borough of Greenwich, Panel member since 2011

Visit to the International Broadcast Centre and
Main Press Centre (IBC/MPC)

North-west part of the Olympic Park, E20
15th April 2011

“The day started off no differently with a good old mug of coffee to wake up
the old brain cells!

Then I found myself on the Jubilee line on my way to Stratford, where I met all
the lovely, lush peeps of the Youth Panel at Stratford station. We then waited for
the bus to take us directly onto the Olympic Park, and after a 20 minutes or so
wait, we were on our way.

We arrived on the Park, got our safety gear on, which consisted of high visibility jacket, helmet and boots (which I am proud to say the group pulled off with style
and coolness!) and headed off for our destination: the IBC and MPC (as they’ll be
known during the 2012 Games).

After all the looking “cool” in our high vis. gear and taking photos of each other was over – the tour begun. We started on the vast ground floor of the International Broadcast Centre and I was amazed at the length of the building, which is the same size in length as the football pitch at the Emirates stadium (Arsenal football club’s home ground). That’s a fact you can whack out to impress anyone!

Once inside, we saw the longest corridor I think I’ve ever seen! It was over 100m long and it was so tempting to have a race, but sadly there was no time and we moved on to the next floor of the building. Better luck next time!

The big rooms we found ourselves in were very cool…and by cool I mean cold! It was an amazing site nonetheless, so much so, we all got our cameras and camera phones out and started snapping. I’m sure the atmosphere in these rooms during the Games will be electrifying!

After we visited this spectacular building, we went back outside. There will be a whole complex dedicated to the various journalists and important media people, looking after their every need. There’ll even be a McDonalds (yes, a McDonalds!), and the canteen in the catering village will be serving up to 50,000 meals a day. Now that’s a lot of food!

After we had been amazed with all the things the journalists will enjoy during the 2012 Games, we entered the Main Press Centre, which itself is a massive office space.

You could just imagine the endless lines of computers and the smell of hot coffee on the go with the strong reflection of the large TVs against the large windows.

Sadly, time moved on pretty fast and, with everything, how time flies when you’re having fun, and it was time to leave. We headed back to the coach and later we had a Q&A session with Pauline Schaffer from the Legacy Company’s Real Estate team, who had also taken us around on the tour.

After a lovey day full of interesting facts and information, off came the cool safety gear and heavy boots, and we were now ready to report back to our various boroughs and communities.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, take care and come back again soon!”

Tommy Pullen, 17, London Borough of Greenwich, Panel member since 2010

Exploring the Legacy Company’s
Socio-Economic policy

Youth Panel monthly workshop
Olympic Park Legacy Company office,
West Ham Lane, Stratford, London
26th March 2011

“Another exciting and thrilling Youth Panel session, but this time with a twist!

Instead of our usual meeting based sessions, we entered the building and were immediately asked to start interviewing one another for possible jobs on the
future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. A rather unusual start to the day, but all became clear as we started exploring the Legacy Company’s plans to develop
local skills so that young people will be able to compete for the jobs that will be made available in the future.

We put ourselves in the shoes of future interviewers and interviewees, and
quickly saw the challenges that lay ahead in securing jobs now and in the future.
Sure, we could have the best grades but that alone may not enough, as necessary experience was also needed - a valuable lesson that came up throughout the day. Soft skills, including presentation, punctuality, drive, determination and passion – we discovered that these are all important when trying to get a job.

I thoroughly enjoyed being able to put my friends under pressure when interviewing them and they were pretty tough on me, placing me in hard and awkward situations, but it was good practice for my college interviews which are coming up soon.

Shortly after the interviews we took part in activities such as ‘Route to success’ in which we plotted out our ideal jobs then worked backwards thinking of the kind of academic qualifications and wider skills we’d need to achieve our final goals. It was interesting to think about what we need to do from today to get where we want to in the future.

There was a short presentation from Michelle May from the Legacy Company, who is Head of Regeneration, about the Legacy Company’s plans to set up a skills academy after the Games, to help build up local people’s skills so they are better suited for the skilled jobs that will be available in the Park. We learnt quite a lot about the skills centre and the work they are doing with other company’s, that are thinking about moving into the Park, to promote local employment.

It has become much harder to get a job and as we talked it was clear that many young people have even been turned down from simple retail jobs. The struggle for jobs is becoming more competitive and is sadly lowering the possibility of employment especially if you’re young. But nonetheless, it sure was good to see that more opportunities were going to be available thanks to the ‘Skills Centre’ on the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Yet again something beneficial for the community coming from the legacy of the Games.

Every time I attend a Youth Panel session I feel like I’m learning valuable lessons; not to mention all the fun we’re having. Right now I’m just looking forward to our next session.”

Mohammed Abdulle, 17, London Borough of Newham, Panel member since 2010

A day out to celebrate

Charlton, London, 20th January 2011

Our panel enjoyed a celebratory day out after one of our Panel members, Sami Pontin, won a Jack Petchy award. These awards are given to young people doing work or projects regarded as transformational in their community.

“On the 20th January, 10 members of the Legacy Youth Panel that I am part of
went on a trip to have a game of Laser Tag.

We went to the Bunker 51 branch in Charlton and we were the only ones there
so we got straight to it after a brief explanation by the two lovely workers there.

The first round was us in teams trying to ‘kill’ the opposing team. I was in the green team and the other was red. The red team won first time around but
we won the second time! Good times.

Then we moved on to another game where we had a ‘mission’ to complete. As I didn’t really understand the concept of that particular game, I left it to the others and just went about trying to shoot as many people as possible!

Lastly, we had a game where we weren’t in teams anymore and instead we had to find out who could get the most kills individually. I think Noufi and Shabaz were the winning tie, but I was very proud of myself. It was a cold night but after the game, cold was the last thing we felt! I wouldn’t mind doing it again too! It was really enjoyable and it was all thanks to Sami’s Jack Petchey award. Well done Sami!”

Firdaus Yusef, 15, London Borough of Hackney, Panel member since 2010

New recuits day 2011

Canning Town, London, 29th January 2011

Following the recruitment of an additional thirty young people to the Legacy Youth Panel, taking the overall number to 65, the group commenced their time on the Panel with a bonding session at the outdoor pursuit centre in Canning Town. In an attempt to unite the group and start outlining the plans that lay ahead, they engaged in a series of team building exercises and challenges.

“Freezing cold, we all gathered onto the train carriage and began our long journey from Stratford. We reached our destination after a long walk from the station and we could see the peak of the abseiling tower in the distance.

We were given hot tea and biscuits to warm ourselves up before we were properly introduced to the new recruits and begin our long day.

We were briefed, put into teams and we began to put on our safety harnesses. Shaking in the cold, we began the first of the three tasks – rock climbing. We worked together in our small teams, relying on each other so that we did not fall off the wall and come crashing down! The next task was abseiling.

It looked scary at first but once I had begun descending the tower, it became very easy! Then the last task was only for the very brave.

Climbing to the top of a long thin pole and then jumping off a small platform. This was into thin air with just a rope joined to a mechanical mechanism saving you from splattering your face on the ground! We all encouraged those on the small platform and helped them trust the little machinery with their lives.

We now began to do some smaller team building exercises such as an assault course and a small game which required a joint team effort. After getting to know the new recruits better and joining in on the team building exercises, it was now time for lunch.

We all ate hungrily to warm our bodies and ending the day on a positive note. Leaving the great outdoors in the city, we made our separate ways home, knowing our new panel would be stronger than ever.”

Shabaz Hussain, 19, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Panel member since 2009

Legacy Youth Panel Recruitment Day

Olympic Park Legacy Company office, West Ham Lane, Stratford, London
11th December 2010

After two successful intakes of local young people, eager to be involved in shaping the plans for the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Legacy Company recruited a third cohort of ambitious , passionate young people for the Legacy Youth Panel.

“Today, we held our annual recruitment event at the Legacy Company HQ in Stratford. Because the Legacy Youth Panel (or LYP for short) is made up of outgoing young people, they tend to be busy…

And as they [panel members] get older and go from school to college, they get even busier and so regular members tend to be available less and less.

We advertised the day through PSHE and Humanities teachers in schools and through youth workers at youth centres. We had over 35 buzzing young people turn up, some so keen they were an hour early! They stayed the full 6 hour day too.

The first part of the day was used to make sure everyone got to know each other and to break up the pre-existing ’groups’ of friends and people who already knew one another. We did this through basic drama-style group games led by Davina, one of the Panel leaders. There was always someone laughing and everyone had beaming smiles.

When everyone was properly comfortable, we were given a task… ‘Build a bridge, the longest wins!’

May sound easy, but these bridges had to be made out of newspaper. The veteran members, like myself, were prohibited from helping too much, even if it was pretty obvious what needed to be done, but, hey, I guess they needed to work it out for themselves. We had to imagine what would make our bridges special too, if any events would be held on them or if they would be used as part of a festival, etc.

After a couple of hours we took a break for lunch and it was good to see everyone mingling freely, talking to people who had been complete strangers three hours earlier. Oh, and the pizza was pretty good too.

Feeling fully refreshed, we continued working on our bridges and after an hour or two, the time had come to decide the winner. Each group had been innovative, sometimes in suspiciously similar ways, but all of them worked and all of them looked pretty good. Funnily enough, I can’t remember who won (so I obviously lost!) but that wasn’t the point. The point was that we had an excellent handful of young people with tons of ideas and who also seemed to be very ecologically-minded, which was something new.

Everyone signed up and now the waiting begins whilst the selection process takes place. But I’d say the best part of the day…was everyone walking out the door with a smile on their face and a spring in their step.”