Listening and learning from our young people

Recently I was invited to go along to meet Sutton’s Young Commissioners to find out about what they do and to hear about their ideas for the future and how they’d like to get involved in shaping our borough.

The Young Commissioners are based within the Volunteer Centre Sutton and come from a number of local secondary schools. There are currently 17 young people in the group and they all have different experiences of living in the borough. I was keen to find out more about who they are and what they do.

The conversation I had with them was great and at times quite challenging. We covered topics which affect them on a daily basis. Topics such as the future of Sutton High Street, public transport and feeling safe on the streets. 

They were keen to tell me about the things they have done as part of the Young Commissioners group.

• They’ve been on a tour of the London Cancer Hub where they heard first-hand about the exciting opportunities this world class development will bring to the borough.

• They’ve been involved in Sutton’s White Ribbon campaign to look at how we can ensure that women and young girls are safe on our streets and how men and boys can be allies and call out bad behaviour. 

• A workshop was held with them to design their idea of a future high street and they’ve been involved in the latest redevelopment plans.

• They spoke at the recent Race and Equality Conference about growing up in the borough and their own personal experiences.

• On Sunday 5th March, the Young Commissioners are having a Bake Sale at the International Women’s Day event at Cryer Arts to raise funds for Sutton Women's Centre and the White Ribbon charity.

It was inspiring to talk to our Young Commissioners. They really are a credit to our borough and I’m looking forward to visiting them again!

For more details about the Young Commissioners, take a look at their website.

Councillor Ruth Dombey

Leader of the Council