Eloise J N - Aged 17
from Grenoside, North Sheffield

I first heard about CHILYPEP from friends at school who would talk about “this project” that they
attended meetings with and seemed to get them involved and enthusiastic about them. However I wasn’t directly involved until, as part of the school council, I put myself forward to become part of the proposed Joint Schools Council (JSC), which I later found out was the brain-child of the very meetings which my
school-friends had attended.   

CHILYPEP’s work in bringing together student representatives from Chaucer, Parkwood and Yewlands to form the JSC was inspirational. For the first time we felt and were truly instrumental, drafting our own charter, motto & constitution, building the organisation up ourselves and coming together to find that what we thought were important issues at one school, they were dealing with and faced the same at other “rival” schools.

From the JSC some members were elected to another CHILYPEP project, the Area Wide Youth Parliament (AWYP). This brought together members from many different projects, some who new each other, and some who would probably never had met. The cross-section of people was amazing, but that CHILYPEP had brought us all together and were facilitating us in training ourselves, working together and getting down to try and do something about the issues that really mattered (and still matter) to us all was (and is) even more so.

Since that first invitation to join the JSC I have worked on projects surrounding school nurses and health, toilet facilities and student representation, built up Young Peoples’ organisations and been trained in discrimination awareness, communication and debating, and children’s rights. I have even written and presented questions in
a “political speed-dating” session with city councillors and even written, produced and performed in an
Anti-Bullying film.

When my term on the AWYP was over I was encouraged to join the North Sheffield Youth Forum (NSYF) and helped organise a Young Peoples festival (mish-mash), was trained and earned an ASDAN in peer mentoring as part of a wider peer mentoring project and designed and am now part of a cultural awareness project.

In short, CHILYPEP has given the young people of Sheffield one of the most valuable things they may ever have, the support and backing to get involved and heard where otherwise they might be sidelined and ignored. They have nurtured involvement and a sense of worth where otherwise there might have been none, combating a disengagement that might have otherwise led to apathy that we are constantly told is a “scourge of society” and something government is desperate to fight.

As a direct result of the work of Chilypep I am engaged and aware, taking part in activities that will put something back into the community and gaining experience and considering options that I otherwise wouldn’t have thought possible. Projects like this are invaluable, and I can only hope that more people continue to benefit from them and go on to help others, the sheer diversity of a projects impact means that those involved can never be truly thanked, but I hope that this testimony does in part.

Thanks guys.