THE EFFORTS of young people to improve their neighbourhoods across Keighley have been highlighted to councillors.

Keighley Area Committee wastold about a range of community-minded projects overseen by Bradford Council’s Youth Service and other organisations.

Teenagers in Keighley Central ward have been heavily involved in community activities including clean-ups, Sky Ride cycling days, child sexual exploitation ‘days of action’ and voter registration.

They have attended workshops addressing substance abuse, child sexual exploitation, anti-social behaviour, bullying, family life, and the consequences are becoming a ‘runner’ for drug gangs.

Highfield Community Centre has supported Eastern European young people, and the centre has teamed up with the Youth Service and the Roshni Ghar charity to support girls and young women. The Bangladeshi Community Association helped eight young people find jobs.

Young people across the Keighley Central, which includes Highfield, Lawkholme and Showfield, formed a Young Advisers Group to represent the diversity of their communities, and influenced local and district decision-making.

‘Detached’ youth workers have forged links with groups of youngsters gathering across Keighley East ward, which includes Stockbridge, Parkwood and Hainworth Wood.

One young volunteer is helping promote Big Local lottery grants for youth activities in the ward, while others have been assessing grant applications through the Youth Opportunity Fund.

The hope is that they will learn valuable skills in developing ideas, writing grant applications and making decisions.

Youth Service teams have carried out outreach work to tackle anti-social behaviour in Worth Valley villages such as Haworth, Oxenhope and Oakworth.

Professional workers support flourishing youth clubs in all three villages – including clubs run by local residents – with activities ranging from cooking and recreation to volunteering and life skills training.

There are also been workshops covering personal safety, drugs and alcohol misuse, child sexual exploitation, and the consequences of crime.

In Craven ward villages like Silsden, Steeton and Eastburn, Youth Service staff have worked with schools and groups of young people on the street to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Workers also helped young people build links with older people’s groups, and make decisions on what to do after their exams.

Staff supported a 14-year-old national champion dancer wanting to start a dance class at Silsden Youth Centre, and helped other young people talk with the centre’s management committee about new activities for their age group.

Well-attended open access groups in Silsden and Addingham have focused on healthy eating, healthy relationships, substance abuse and physical activity.