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Apr 20 - New British Forces Youth Forum Dedicated To Helping New Arrivals

Moving overseas and changing schools can be a daunting prospect for many children in service families. Leaving behind friends and family can often make young people feel very isolated, but five young people in the British Forces Gibraltar Youth Club have formed a Youth Forum dedicated to helping service children settle into their new environment.

Brandon Gaul (14), Jasmine Ellery (14), Maegan Smith (12), Rachael Clark (12) and Sophia Nelson (11) meet up every Tuesday to focus on their aims and implement solutions.

Chairperson Jasmine explained why they formed the Youth Forum: “We wanted to have a say in our emotional and educational wellbeing. Very often adults make decisions that affect us and sometimes they are made without thinking of the effect on children, this is our way of having a voice.”

The passion for the forum is evident when talking to the group, Publicity Member Maegan said: “When you’re an MOD child you move around a lot and you gain and lose friends. You are expected to make friends straight away, but it’s not always easy, we want to help new people settle in as quickly as possible.”

The youngest member of the forum, Sophia Nelson said: “It’s a great opportunity to come out to Gibraltar, but it can have its downsides, making new friends is a lot harder than it sounds but hopefully we can give them some top tips and a head start to their new life in Gibraltar.”

Although in its infancy, the forum has already made great strides and members have recently taken part in a Tri-Service Youth Forum in Doncaster. The weekend gave them a chance to meet their counterparts in a number of forces locations throughout the UK and overseas.

Command Community Development Manager Sally Crawford is very proud of their focus and innovation, she said: “They’ve come up with some excellent solutions to the problems young people often face on arrival, with solutions such as operating a Buddy System, creating an Induction Programme, writing an insert for the families Welcome Pack and we are going to create a video to show life on the Rock. All the information previously provided for young people has been adult led, but the forum has given them the opportunity to let decision makers know what is really needed. The work that the Forum is doing will really benefit incumbent young people and quickly make them feel part of the community.”

Photo: Four members of the British Forces Youth Forum (Brandan Gaul is missing) From Left to Right: Rachael Clark, Jasmine Ellery, Maegan Smith and Sophia Nelson.



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