Recently members of the Kids Inspire Voice celebrated their final meet of the year with a Christmas Party. It was an opportunity to look back on their journey with the Voice and how it has helped them. 

Our oldest Voice member Josh got into the Christmas spirit with a Santa costume! And the evening itself was filled with fun with quizzes, music, laughs and a tasty pizza kindly donated by Domino’s Pizza Chelmsford.

The Voice group had a lot to celebrate at their end-of-year party, here are a few of those highlights:

Voice Ambassadors

We have been grateful for the support of some our older members – our Voice Ambassadors - over the last year. They have stepped up to help at our Platinum Jubilee Garden party and volunteered at the Streets Eat n Beats festival in support of Kids Inspire.  In return, opportunities like this helps them with confidence and social skills building – a winning combination.

Joseph, our very own radio star

During Mental Health Awareness Week in October this year, Joseph, one of our Voice members, was interviewed by Chelmsford Community Radio (starts around 10mins in and lasts around 25mins) along with our Community Engagement Officer, Jane.  

Joseph gave a positive account about his own Mental Health journey and how Kids Inspire has helped him. You may remember Joseph from previous national radio interviews he did for us.

We look forward to working with Chelmsford Community Radio again next year and to hopefully giving more young people the opportunity to share their ‘expert by experience’ view.

During our end-of-year party, our Voice members were asked to write down one word which reflects how being part of an adolescent group such as The Voice has made a difference to them. Words or phrases used were:

“Sociable”

“Saved my Social Life”

“Helped me gain confidence”

“Warm and Energetic”

“Connectivity”

“Comfort”

“Inspiring”

It really is lovely to see the journey they have all been on and how they are all growing as individuals and within a positive peer group environment. It is clear from speaking to them, that mental health remains a key topic of discussion and we are glad to be there for them and to help to facilitate discussions in a safe and supportive way.

“We are very proud of our Voice members and we would like to wish them a very merry Christmas and a happy new year and look forward to seeing them back on 4th January 2023 and seeing what opportunities 2023 will bring for them.” - Jane, Community Engagement Officer

The aim of the Voice

Adolescence (between 10 and 24 years) is a period of life characterised by heightened sensitivity to social stimuli and the increased need for peer interaction. Studies have shown the importance of peer acceptance and peer influence in adolescence and the negative effects of social exclusion.

The Voice helps young people to develop into independent adults, fostering a more complete sense of social self-identity, plus building cognitive abilities, at the same time as building stronger affiliations with their peer group.

The Voice Chelmsford meets every other Wednesday at Hargrave House between 4:30pm to 6pm (term-time) and we are looking to recruit new members.  We are also looking to recruit a volunteer to support this group from the beginning of March, so please contact the Community Engagement Team if you feel you may be able to support this and be part of something special. 

We are also looking to set up a Voice group in Thurrock next year and would be grateful to hear from any organisation/secondary school/community member who can support us with this, in terms of venue, recruiting students and volunteering. 

if you would like further information, please contact the Community Engagement Team.