Archive Council News

13.03.07

Children's University - Making the Connection Conference

Wrexham Children's University has hosted the first Children's University Regional Conference at the Ramada Plaza Hotel. The Conference has been organised in partnership with Welsh Authorities: Denbighshire, Flintshire, Conwy and Powys, to raise awareness of the scheme.

It will also help Denbighshire, launch their Children’s University scheme in the not to distance future, with the other authorities soon to follow.

This important one day conference will provide the opportunity to find out more about the Children’s University nationally and regionally, consider the experiences of colleagues already involved in the Children’s University and to network and share good practice.

The Children’s University began its existence in Wales with the launch of the Wrexham Children’s University in July 2002, by Welsh Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning – Jane Davidson. It now has a foothold in 11 other Welsh Authorities: Cardiff, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan, Newport, Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taff, with a number of other Welsh Authorities expressing interest in setting up the scheme.

Since its launch in Wrexham, The Children’s University has gone from strength to strength. The scheme is a partnership between Wrexham Youth Service (Wrexham County Borough Council) and NEWI (North East Wales Institute). Fundamentally, the purpose of the Wrexham Children’s University is to promote activities that develop ‘the whole child’ and to award credits for participation rather than traditional educational models of rewarding achievement against predetermined standards. The purpose of the Children’s University in Wales is to provide recognition for a range of learning experiences that can bring all children and young people into contact with their wider communities and engage their interest in learning beyond the school day. It operates under a system that accredits young people from the age of 5 to 19

The conference will be attended by Senior Council Officials, Lead Members, Senior Education Officers, Head Teachers, Teachers, Youth Workers and Voluntary Organisations from across the five authorities.