Annual Conversation

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Annual Conversation 2023

Due to the unpredictability of the weather conditions, forecasted low temperatures for this evening, a number of reported school closures, and the additional vulnerability of some of the attendees, we have reluctantly made the decision to postpone the Annual Conversation today (30 November 2023). We recognise that the weather patterns vary hugely across Cornwall and some of you will not have seen snow today, however other areas are experiencing significant disruption to the road network and we don’t want to add to that later today, particularly when temperatures may fall.

We apologise for the short notice, however we want everyone to remain safe. We will be in touch with a new date in the New Year.

We are sad not to be going ahead today – thank you for your enthusiasm and commitment to this event.

Just a reminder that Youth Council is currently open for recruitment until the end of next week. Please encourage young people to sign up if they want to stand for election or a support role
Cornwall Youth Council | Let's Talk Cornwall

Following feedback and experiences from the previous events and linking to Cornwall Youth Council's work, this years event will run slightly differently. At the beginning of October 2023, we will be inviting representatives from children and young people's groups and organisations to be part of this years Conversation.

Annual Conversation Ambassadors 2022, Councillors and Council Officers will be receiving invites to this years event in early October 2023.

On the 30th November, the Pledge Working groups from 2022's Annual Conversation (Ambassadors, Councillors and Council Officers) and the children and young people's groups and organisations in attendance will all have an opportunity to share and celebrate their successes and achievements from the last 12 months. The second half of the evening will be spent looking at priorities for the next 12 months and connecting people up to work together to achieve these.

If you are an organisation who would like to be involved in this years Annual Conversation, and haven't heard from us already, please get in touch by emailing childrensrights@cornwall.gov.uk

If you are a young person wanting to be involved in making a difference in Cornwall, please visit Cornwall Youth Council | Let's Talk Cornwall

What is the Annual Conversation?

The first Annual Conversation took place in November 2021 following fantastic engagement from children and young people earlier in the year during G7. The Annual Conversation is a facilitated dialogue between children and young people (aged 10 to 24 years old) and Council Leaders. The children and young people spend time training to be Ambassadors not only for their own views and ideas but the views of other children. They then talk with Leaders and work together to agree three pledges, one for each of the three identified priorities. Leaders and Ambassadors will share the accountability to ensure that these pledges are achieved. You can read about last year's pledges here.

Annual Conversation 2022: when and where it took place?

  • Tuesday 15 November 2022 (evening): online kick-off event
  • Saturday 26 November 2022 (all day): pre-event workshop at The Eden Project, St Austell
  • Wednesday 30 November 2022 (4:00-8:00pm): the Annual Conversation at New County Hall, Truro

What we talked about

We gather feedback and information from people and organisations who work with children directly and data such as Make Your Mark 2022 results. What we are hearing are the priorities from children and young people this year are:

  • Our Future - Jobs and Skills
  • Achieving Good Mental and Physical health
  • Being Heard, Involved and Taken Seriously

We would like as many children and young people as possible to use Conversation Capture and the quick polls, and ideas post-its on this page to comment on these priorities. This helps us get a representative and wide view of thoughts, ideas and solutions which will then help Ambassadors when they meet with Leaders.

The priorities raised by children and young people also connect with the new Council priorities, which are:

  • A brilliant place to be a child and grow up
  • In a thriving, sustainable Cornwall that offers a secure home, a decent income and a great environment for all
  • As part of vibrant, safe, supportive communities where people help each other to live well
  • All supported by our Council - an empowering and enterprising organisation that gets it right first time for our customers

Working together we hope to get achieve this for all children in Cornwall.

What can I do?

There are several ways to be involved. Our biggest wish is to gain a representative voice from children and young people in Cornwall, from those with the confidence and support to speak out independently to those who have really important life experiences but would not normally speak out or think that what they had to say was relevant or important. Ways to get involved are:

  • Register your Interest (below) to be involved in the Annual Conversation*
  • Completing the Top Priority Quick Polls (right) and letting us know which areas of each priority is most important to you.
  • using the My Other Priorities post -it note tool (below) to tell us other things you think we are currently missing from our top priorities for young people.
  • have discussions safely in the playground, classroom, with friends, with your family and feedback your thoughts, ideas, solutions, views and needs via the Conversation Capture Form (below)

Why might I want to get involved?

Children and young people:

  • What you have to say matters. You have the right to be heard and to be involved in decisions made about your life (UN Summary of the Rights of the Child)
  • Getting involved gives you power and well as being likely to improve self-confidence, wellbeing connection with other people and your community
  • What you have to say can influence what decisions are made about lots of areas of your life now and in the future, such as education, housing, jobs and the environment

Adults....to support and encourage children and young people to take part:

  • To enable children and young people to have the best life chances, to learn skills, develop their knowledge and feel heard and involved
  • To learn from children, understand their perspectives and why they feel that way
  • To support children and young people to realise their values, passion and voice matters
  • Adults have a duty to listen to children, take their views seriously and involve them in decision making

Additional Information:

The deadline for registering interest to take part in the events, or nominating someone to take part in the events, is midnight on Sunday 6th November.

The deadline for giving your views, completing the polls and conversation capture is midnight on Wednesday 23rd November.

There is no cost to the children and young people to take part. Transport can be arranged and refreshments will be included at the events. We will work with children and young people to manage any access challenges including digital support to take part.

*Please note, the dates children and young people will need to be available to take part in are: Tuesday 15 November (evening - digital session), Saturday 26 November (in person all day event at the Eden Project) and Wednesday 30 November (4.00pm-8:30pm in person, New County Hall, Truro).

We would like to give Children and young people aged 10 to 24 years the opportunity to take part who can not only offer their own views, but represent the views of others, including younger children.

As well as children and young people being able to independently register their interest in being involved in the Annual Conversation, professionals who work alongside children and young people can nominate/identify (with consent) individuals for whom this opportunity may be of interest.

Our data protection and confidentiality statement

How will you protect my information?

Your data will be stored securely and will only be accessible by members of Together for Families. Your consent for your data to be used in the evaluation will be assumed when you complete Registration.

Who am I giving my information to?

The evaluation is being carried out by Together for Families. You can view our privacy notice at www.cornwall.gov.uk/tffprivacynotice.

How will you store my personal data?

Responses will be collected using the Let’s Talk Cornwall survey software. By completing Registration, you consent to this transfer of your information. This includes any information which may represent your personal data. All the information you share with Together for Families will be stored safely for the duration of the evaluation. It will be destroyed one year after it has finished.

Let’s Talk Cornwall is the system used to collate the data and create reports from it. You can view the privacy statement on the Let’s Talk Cornwall website.


Annual Conversation 2023

Due to the unpredictability of the weather conditions, forecasted low temperatures for this evening, a number of reported school closures, and the additional vulnerability of some of the attendees, we have reluctantly made the decision to postpone the Annual Conversation today (30 November 2023). We recognise that the weather patterns vary hugely across Cornwall and some of you will not have seen snow today, however other areas are experiencing significant disruption to the road network and we don’t want to add to that later today, particularly when temperatures may fall.

We apologise for the short notice, however we want everyone to remain safe. We will be in touch with a new date in the New Year.

We are sad not to be going ahead today – thank you for your enthusiasm and commitment to this event.

Just a reminder that Youth Council is currently open for recruitment until the end of next week. Please encourage young people to sign up if they want to stand for election or a support role
Cornwall Youth Council | Let's Talk Cornwall

Following feedback and experiences from the previous events and linking to Cornwall Youth Council's work, this years event will run slightly differently. At the beginning of October 2023, we will be inviting representatives from children and young people's groups and organisations to be part of this years Conversation.

Annual Conversation Ambassadors 2022, Councillors and Council Officers will be receiving invites to this years event in early October 2023.

On the 30th November, the Pledge Working groups from 2022's Annual Conversation (Ambassadors, Councillors and Council Officers) and the children and young people's groups and organisations in attendance will all have an opportunity to share and celebrate their successes and achievements from the last 12 months. The second half of the evening will be spent looking at priorities for the next 12 months and connecting people up to work together to achieve these.

If you are an organisation who would like to be involved in this years Annual Conversation, and haven't heard from us already, please get in touch by emailing childrensrights@cornwall.gov.uk

If you are a young person wanting to be involved in making a difference in Cornwall, please visit Cornwall Youth Council | Let's Talk Cornwall

What is the Annual Conversation?

The first Annual Conversation took place in November 2021 following fantastic engagement from children and young people earlier in the year during G7. The Annual Conversation is a facilitated dialogue between children and young people (aged 10 to 24 years old) and Council Leaders. The children and young people spend time training to be Ambassadors not only for their own views and ideas but the views of other children. They then talk with Leaders and work together to agree three pledges, one for each of the three identified priorities. Leaders and Ambassadors will share the accountability to ensure that these pledges are achieved. You can read about last year's pledges here.

Annual Conversation 2022: when and where it took place?

  • Tuesday 15 November 2022 (evening): online kick-off event
  • Saturday 26 November 2022 (all day): pre-event workshop at The Eden Project, St Austell
  • Wednesday 30 November 2022 (4:00-8:00pm): the Annual Conversation at New County Hall, Truro

What we talked about

We gather feedback and information from people and organisations who work with children directly and data such as Make Your Mark 2022 results. What we are hearing are the priorities from children and young people this year are:

  • Our Future - Jobs and Skills
  • Achieving Good Mental and Physical health
  • Being Heard, Involved and Taken Seriously

We would like as many children and young people as possible to use Conversation Capture and the quick polls, and ideas post-its on this page to comment on these priorities. This helps us get a representative and wide view of thoughts, ideas and solutions which will then help Ambassadors when they meet with Leaders.

The priorities raised by children and young people also connect with the new Council priorities, which are:

  • A brilliant place to be a child and grow up
  • In a thriving, sustainable Cornwall that offers a secure home, a decent income and a great environment for all
  • As part of vibrant, safe, supportive communities where people help each other to live well
  • All supported by our Council - an empowering and enterprising organisation that gets it right first time for our customers

Working together we hope to get achieve this for all children in Cornwall.

What can I do?

There are several ways to be involved. Our biggest wish is to gain a representative voice from children and young people in Cornwall, from those with the confidence and support to speak out independently to those who have really important life experiences but would not normally speak out or think that what they had to say was relevant or important. Ways to get involved are:

  • Register your Interest (below) to be involved in the Annual Conversation*
  • Completing the Top Priority Quick Polls (right) and letting us know which areas of each priority is most important to you.
  • using the My Other Priorities post -it note tool (below) to tell us other things you think we are currently missing from our top priorities for young people.
  • have discussions safely in the playground, classroom, with friends, with your family and feedback your thoughts, ideas, solutions, views and needs via the Conversation Capture Form (below)

Why might I want to get involved?

Children and young people:

  • What you have to say matters. You have the right to be heard and to be involved in decisions made about your life (UN Summary of the Rights of the Child)
  • Getting involved gives you power and well as being likely to improve self-confidence, wellbeing connection with other people and your community
  • What you have to say can influence what decisions are made about lots of areas of your life now and in the future, such as education, housing, jobs and the environment

Adults....to support and encourage children and young people to take part:

  • To enable children and young people to have the best life chances, to learn skills, develop their knowledge and feel heard and involved
  • To learn from children, understand their perspectives and why they feel that way
  • To support children and young people to realise their values, passion and voice matters
  • Adults have a duty to listen to children, take their views seriously and involve them in decision making

Additional Information:

The deadline for registering interest to take part in the events, or nominating someone to take part in the events, is midnight on Sunday 6th November.

The deadline for giving your views, completing the polls and conversation capture is midnight on Wednesday 23rd November.

There is no cost to the children and young people to take part. Transport can be arranged and refreshments will be included at the events. We will work with children and young people to manage any access challenges including digital support to take part.

*Please note, the dates children and young people will need to be available to take part in are: Tuesday 15 November (evening - digital session), Saturday 26 November (in person all day event at the Eden Project) and Wednesday 30 November (4.00pm-8:30pm in person, New County Hall, Truro).

We would like to give Children and young people aged 10 to 24 years the opportunity to take part who can not only offer their own views, but represent the views of others, including younger children.

As well as children and young people being able to independently register their interest in being involved in the Annual Conversation, professionals who work alongside children and young people can nominate/identify (with consent) individuals for whom this opportunity may be of interest.

Our data protection and confidentiality statement

How will you protect my information?

Your data will be stored securely and will only be accessible by members of Together for Families. Your consent for your data to be used in the evaluation will be assumed when you complete Registration.

Who am I giving my information to?

The evaluation is being carried out by Together for Families. You can view our privacy notice at www.cornwall.gov.uk/tffprivacynotice.

How will you store my personal data?

Responses will be collected using the Let’s Talk Cornwall survey software. By completing Registration, you consent to this transfer of your information. This includes any information which may represent your personal data. All the information you share with Together for Families will be stored safely for the duration of the evaluation. It will be destroyed one year after it has finished.

Let’s Talk Cornwall is the system used to collate the data and create reports from it. You can view the privacy statement on the Let’s Talk Cornwall website.

Page last updated: 30 Nov 2023, 11:04 AM