Youth Advisory Panel meets to discuss 2019 plans

The Swim England Youth Advisory Panel have met for the first time in 2019 to welcome new members and discuss the direction and support of the panel in this exciting anniversary year.

With the Swim England 150th Anniversary celebrations first on the agenda, the meeting promised to be an exciting one with invited guest, Ali Clowes (Swim England Head of Media and Public Affairs), setting the theme “showcasing the present to inspire the future”.

At the last meeting in August 2018, the panel proposed the introduction of a ‘Young Person’s Hall of Fame’ to highlight and showcase young people who have made a significant contribution to aquatics.

With instant backing from Swim England, this initiative is now well underway and the panel are working with Ali to identify the finer details and launch of this award, which is set to announce its first nominations in April.

Diane Elliot, Swim England Talent Physiotherapy and Sports Science Coordinator, joined the panel in the afternoon. Discussions focused on how best to raise awareness and promote positive mental wellbeing amongst young people within the swimming community.

The panel also continued discussions on how Swim England can better communicate with its young members, and a newly formed sub-group is set to meet again next month to generate a suite of safeguarding resources specifically for young members.

Panel going from strength-to-strength

Ben Gregory, vice-chairperson of the Youth Advisory Panel, said: “These are exciting times for the panel.

“We are working on a variety of initiatives that we hope will enhance the experience of young people within the various disciplines. I’m looking forward to seeing what the next few months has in store, both for the group and the young people involved in all our aquatic disciplines.”

Claire Coleman, head of volunteering at Swim England, said: “The Youth Advisory Panel continues to go from strength-to-strength with new members and a vice-chair to give the panel continuity.

“The reach of the Panel within Swim England is clear, as it leads on developing not only plans for engaging young people but being responsible for the development of the resources. We have an exciting year ahead of us as we push forward with key projects.”

The Youth Advisory Panel will next be meeting in April, where members will continue to work on the development of these existing projects as well as engage with any new topics on the agenda.