Youth Participation Officer appointed

Date published: 03/04/2008

Donna Becconsall has recently been appointed as the new Youth Participation Officer for the Youth Opportunities Programme in Heywood. Ms Becconsall has been volunteering with the project for the past few months and has been instrumental in the development of the Young Advisors Group.

Ms Becconsall, a local resident has always been interested in Young Peoples work and has previously set up a girls group which meets on a Friday night at Back o’ th’ Moss Community Centre, and is a Mentor with the Youth Services Youth Link Scheme. For the past year, Ms Becconsall has also been a Resident Director with New Heart for Heywood NDC but made the decision this year to stand down to focus on working with young people.

Duncan Pearse, Youth Activities Programme Manager said: “Donna is a welcome addition to the project and her local knowledge and enthusiasm for Young People will add value to the work that we are already doing. One of Donna’s main pieces of work will be to establish groups of Young People across Heywood who want to have a voice on Young Peoples issues”

Ellen Wintle-Yates Chair of the New Heart for Heywood Partnership who fund the Youth Activities Programme in Heywood said: “This is great news for Donna and the project. It is encouraging that a local resident like Donna is able to gain employment from a previous volunteering position. I wish her much success in her new position.”