Scunthorpe Town Team

Scunthorpe Central Park

Scunthorpe’s Town Team has been particularly successful in engaging with young people by connecting with youth groups and events that already exist. This has given the Town Team a profile amongst the young people of the town and has enabled a youth perspective to be communicated for key challenges such as the Town Masterplan.

Town Teams are not naturally attractive to younger people. To address this Scunthorpe Town Team held meetings at a local college to discuss the Lincolnshire Lakes. A youth group called Creativateens designed posters emblazoned with ‘Scunthorpe Sucks” encouraging young people to attend the meeting at the college. Further engagement is sought by forging sustainable links with xpress youth forum and are hoping to present to youth forum in the new year.

The Town Team also had a presence at the Great Youth Debate, an annual event led by young people, which used Participatory Appraisal techniques to naturally draw out issues important to them. A filmmaker was engaged to produce DVD of Great Youth Debate, which gave young people the opportunity to tell the Town Team, and North Lincolnshire Council, what they think of the town in which they live and how they would like to see it improved. Young people learnt filming, presenting and editing skills during this project.

The Town Team supported a new youth worker to develop dramatic scenes used to inspire the Renaissance Debate which packed the Chamber at Pittwood House. Young volunteers were also drafted at Town Team’s December meeting. Welcoming people to this informal meeting, showing people round the project exhibition stands etc.

A website has been launched as another mechanism to engage with the community and can be visited at www.scunthorpetownteam.co.uk