Myplace

It was like old times for me today as I commuted in to my old workplace, the Department for Children, Schools and Families in Westminster.

It was a big day for us and the DCSF as we announced 41 successful myplace projects, worth £179 million. Myplace is a programme to develop world class youth facilities across England which we have been delivering under contract to DCSF. We engaged five excellent young people to play a crucial role in deciding among competing projects and this was their chance to meet the Minister, Beverley Hughes, and describe the experience.

We are proud of the brilliant contribution they made and I was delighted to hear them describe so positively the opportunity and support BIG staff had given them. Beverley has been a great champion of building the voice of young people themselves into the design and delivery of projects that are supposed to connect with and inspire them.

It was particularly satisfying to me when the young people relayed how, in one Committee discussion, they had argued the DCSF representative round to what they though should be funded and not what his instinct had been.

I think she was pleased!!