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Project summary

consultation@kirklees.gov.uk

Our Voice: Our Voice Our Town

What we're doing

Young people are being asked to support the shaping of our Town Centres and High Streets. We want to involve as many young people as possible in telling us what brings them into town and why. We'd like to know how young people think we could improve the town centre, the shops and businesses they'd like to see here and why Huddersfield can be 'The Place to Make It'. We are running various sessions where you can be involved. If you are 12-20 and want to be part of the project, please get in touch!

When we're doing it?

Between 09-Feb-2013 and 01-Jul-2013

We will be

  • Asking for information

Themes

  • Climate change and the environment
  • Crime and anti-social behaviour
  • Customer experiences
  • Education and learning
  • Events, leisure and culture
  • Health, wellbeing and lifestyle
  • Planning and regeneration

Where's it happening?

Across the whole of Kirklees:

More information on what we're doing

Any young people, aged 13-19 wanting to join up and help with the High Street Innovation Fund project, please get in touch. Once we've finished the report, we will be trying to make some of the changes recommended by young people. This will require lots of volunteers.

Decision Makers, Community Leaders, Commissioners and Business Leaders can all support the young people in different ways. If you think you might be able to help, please get in touch.
Yes

What happened?

The key messages to increase young people’s dwell time and footfall in
Kirklees town centres are:

1. Reach us: Make sure we know what’s available, by communicating clearly
in a variety of mediums. This includes telling us about what’s on and
helping us find our way around.

2. Entice us: Ensure you apply young people’s discounts and deals that offer
us a bit extra. This will attract us to your business.

3. Understand us: Look at modernising market practices and retail offers to
engage the shoppers of the future.

4. Entertain us: Relying on retail alone will not bring us to the town centre.
We need experience and entertainment to stop us straying out.

5. Involve us: When decisions are being made about town centre spaces,
invite us in to be part of the discussions.

Young people suggested a number of ways to do this, which include:

1. Having a young persons publicity and evaluation team, for the free events which occur in our town centres.

2. Developing loyalty schemes and young peoples discounts.

3. Considering late night openings, particularly in the Summer months or when free events are happening to capture teen customers.

4. Increase the town centre entertainment offer young people more to do during the day and to stop them 'venturing out' to bordering cities in the evening.

Young people are now making contact with decision makers and colleagues within the council to start working on making changes based on these suggestions.

What difference did the work make?

Young people have already started working with the Place team to publicise, visit and evaluate Dewsbury on Sea and Home Made Fest. The hope to work alongside events organisers to influence future events, which will attract even more teen clients.

Young people have created a mosaic which is on display in the centre of Huddersfield (Piazza Wall). This has helped enhance their sense of 'civic pride'.

The 334 young people who have participated in the project are more aware of what our town offers and are keen to spread these messages to their peers.

A total of 55 young people visited the town for appraisal sessions and mosiac sessions. All went on t spend money in local shops/cafes.

The young people who have worked on the project have enjoyed the first bit so much, they now want to move on to making the changes based on their feedback. They are active and engaged community members.

Methods of involvement

MethodHowHow many peopleStartEnd
Face to faceTown Centre Appraisal1009-02-201309-02-2013
Face to faceResearch Visit to Bury 1809-04-201309-04-2013
Face to faceTown Centre Mosaic Session 612-04-201312-04-2013
Face to faceTown Centre Mosaic Session 1202-05-201302-05-2013
Face to faceTown Centre appraisals (Dewsbury & Huddersfield)1730-05-201330-05-2013
Face to faceCamden Markets Visit901-07-201301-07-2013
Face to faceFeedback Sessions11601-05-201330-06-2013
Face to faceAssemblies in schools21801-05-201303-06-2013

Contact details

Kay Parry
01484 221000
kay.parry@kirklees.gov.uk

Documents and links

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