In Episode 14, the Children's Commissioner and Youth Ambassadors, Annabel, Ben, Emma, Finlay and Valerie, speak to Minister Gould, Minister of State (Minister for School Standards). The Ambassadors share their own personal experiences with education, particularly around additional needs including special educational needs, disabilities, young carer responsibilities, mental health struggles and disrupted schooling, and discuss educational reforms needed.

The podcast was recorded before before the publication of the SEND White Paper in March. The SEND reform consultation closes on 18th May and you can share your views here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/.

Tell the Children's Commissioner what it’s like growing up in England, your hopes and ambitions and what would make England the best place to be a child by having your say: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-conversation.

#TheBigConversation

Please note there is varying sound quality throughout this recording.

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In Episode 13, Youth Ambassadors, Annabel, Anthony, Ariana, Valerie, Violet and Yusuf, speak to Lord Nash and Fabio D'Andrea about the positives and negatives of smartphones and social media and how children can be supported and safe online.

Lord Nash has proposed in Parliament that social media be banned for children under 16 because of the evidence showing its impact on their mental health and wellbeing. Fabio D’Andrea has created ‘Another Way’, a film about the dangers of smartphones and social media for young people which was launched in Parliament earlier this year.

Tell the Children's Commissioner what it’s like growing up in England, your hopes and ambitions and what would make England the best place to be a child by having your say in The Big Conversation Survey: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-conversation.

#TheBigConversation

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In Episode 12, Youth Ambassadors, Annabel & Rosanna, speak to Josh Pelled, Founder & CEO of Bright Futures UK, about what children need to stay connected to their education when they're away from school due to long-term illness and the problems with the support system and communication between services.

Bright Futures UK is the only charity in the UK dedicated to supporting young people aged five to 24, who miss school due to serious or long-term illness. Find out more about the support they offer: https://brightfuturesuk.org/.

Tell the Children's Commissioner what it’s like growing up in England, your hopes and ambitions and what would make England the best place to be a child by having your say in The Big Conversation Survey: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-conversation.

#TheBigConversation

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 11, Youth Ambassadors, Aaliya, Penelope & Emmanuel, speak to Professor Martin Griffiths, Trauma Surgeon & Clinical Director Violence Reduction, about the changing nature of youth violence and the need to design services that reflect young people’s experiences. Content warning: topics discussed include knife crime, masculinity, relationships, non-fatal strangulation and external influences including social media.

Tell the Children's Commissioner what it’s like growing up in England, your hopes and ambitions and what would make England the best place to be a child by having your say in The Big Conversation Survey: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-conversation.

#TheBigConversation

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 10, Youth Ambassadors, Annabel & Chan, speak to Ali Oliver, CEO, Youth Sport Trust, and Molly who's sits on their Youth Board, about the transformative power of sport, the barriers preventing young people participating and what needs to be done to make sport more inclusive and accessible to all.

Tell the Children's Commissioner what it’s like growing up in England, your hopes and ambitions and what would make England the best place to be a child by having your say in The Big Conversation Survey: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/the-big-conversation.

#TheBigConversation

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children. 

In Episode 9, my Youth Ambassadors Emmanuel, Penelope and Aaliya, speak to Jon Yates, Executive Director of the Youth Endowment Fund about young people's safety, youth crime and violence, focussed deterrence, social dynamics and gangs. As well as discussing best times for intervention, empathy and what works to support young people.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children. 

Episode 8 is slightly different to other episodes in the series as it shares a panel discussion, Facing the Future: shoring up the foundations through the teenage years, that was part of the Children’s Commissioner’s Our Future Our Voice: A festival of childhood at Young V&A. The panel was chaired by Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England and the panellists were Children's Commissioner Youth Ambassadors Emmanuel and Aaliya, Dwayne Fields, a Chief Scout, Phoenix Brown, a TV personality, and Kwajo Tweneboa, a housing campaigner. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children. 

Episode 7 is slightly different to other episodes in the series as it shares a panel discussion, Building the Foundations: the early years as a foundation for childhood, that was part of the Children’s Commissioner’s Our Future Our Voice: A festival of childhood at Young V&A. The panel was chaired by Dr Helen Charman, Director of Young V&A and the panellists were Children's Commissioner Youth Ambassadors Rebecca and Maya, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Children’s Laureate, Jamel C. Campbell, early years educator and author, and Rachel Bagshaw, Artistic Director of Unicorn Theatre. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children. 

In Episode 6, my Youth Ambassadors Aaliya, Emmanuel and Penelope, speak to Mina Gerhardsen, Norwegian Ombudsperson for Children about child happiness, support in the early years, prioritising children and their rights and engaging them in public dialogue, and the issues facing children across different nations.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children's Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children. 

In Episode 5, my Youth Ambassadors, Aaliya and Tamar, speak to Angela Salt, CEO, Girlguiding about the importance of World Thinking Day to Girl Guides across the world, the history behind Girlguiding, the ongoing fight for equality, and how we can ensure young women's voices are heard in matters that affect them. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.