EXTRA help is to be given to young people in South Craven and across North Yorkshire in a bid to tackle bullying.

The issue was debated at the county’s Youth Voice conference.

Delegates voted in favour of a campaign being staged by the Youth Voice executive, an elected group of young people which meets with North Yorkshire decision-makers four times a year to put forward its views and raise any concerns.

The campaign will aim to increase awareness of bullying, including its impact on physical and mental health.

Information will be provided to help young people recognise the signs and what to do if they are a victim.

More than 200 primary and secondary-school pupils and representatives of youth groups from across North Yorkshire attended the conference, held at the Pavilions of Harrogate.

Aimee Walker, vice-chairman of the Youth Voice executive, said it was important to maintain a focus on bullying.

“Bullying has always been an issue for young people but it’s changed forms recently – with social media enabling it to happen more outside school,” she said.

“It is an issue being talked about increasingly and it’s important to make sure we keep speaking about it.

“If you leave everything up to adults it doesn’t necessarily equip you to deal with bullying when you enter the world of work.

“One of the aims of the campaign will be how to identify bullying. We need to raise awareness generally.”

The conference also included workshops and talks by organisations including North Yorkshire Police and the LGBT rights charity, Stonewall.

Students were able to take part in a question-and-answer session with senior leaders and managers from North Yorkshire with responsibilities for young people’s services.

County Councillor Janet Sanderson, executive member for children’s and young people’s services, said: “We’ve had some very positive feedback from the conference. Events like this provide a great opportunity to empower young people.”