Our July meeting was really fun and interesting! This month, all our attendees were lads, so it was great to get their thoughts around some of our work.
It was nice to get to know each other a little more by sharing news, achievements and doing a fun quiz, but we also focussed on three specific pieces of work.
Period Hygiene
We explored what members know about menstruation and the challenges faced by girls in Somerset – and how schools support them in terms of providing free period products (funded by Government) accessibility and cleanliness of toilets, as well as education.
Actions
The group will seek ways to raise awareness, and they appreciate the stigma and lack of support for girls but will especially explore opportunities to urge Somerset schools to make use of the Government funded scheme to provide period products. Many Somerset schools aren’t making use of this scheme and are failing their female students. Youth Parliament will be calling out to schools to urge them to improve their support, practice and education over the next few months!
You can find out more about the Government’s period product scheme for schools and colleges here.
Period Health Toolkit – Professionals has information aimed at young people around the physical and emotional impact of periods in their Period Health Toolkit Padlet.
Somerset County’s Sustainable Travel Strategy and Policy
The group are supporting Transport manager, Alex Johnson by sharing their thoughts, experiences and ideas to add to the findings from consultations and offer a final steer, (checking that nothing has been missed and highlight anything new which hasn’t been considered)
Actions
The group’s feedback will be sent to Alex and there will be a final closing meeting to talk about Youth Parliaments input and next steps.
Impact of and consequences of rising temperatures
Our volunteer Rebecca Leggett spoke to the group about their experiences and impact of the hot weather on their lives and the young people around them and the various ways schools handle the risks, as well as how they took care of themselves. With hot weather predicted to become increasingly ‘normal’ in the future, it’s clear that we need to know how to take care of ourselves and each other – but with consideration for the more vulnerable people and those at risk.
Members reported that some schools stayed open, others closed and some parents kept their children out of the schools that remained open, which begs the question about counted absences. On the other hand, some parents may not have the ability to care for their children if the school closes. Working parents could lose pay, or even their jobs. For some, home may be even hotter or more uncomfortable than school depending on what kind of home it is (a member pointed out about people living in flats).
One member said that their school was considerate of relaxing rules on uniforms and allowed students to wear their PE kit.
Some schools have robust air conditioning, whilst others struggled, which may be something to consider in terms of future proofing. Most members described the strain of trying to focus during peak times of heat during the day and some questioned the point of trying to learn in these conditions. In addition, some found it difficult to sleep well and reported that this exhaustion also impacted on their focus at school the following day, with members saying that some of their teachers had struggled too, with one report of a teacher passing out.
The group talked about who the most vulnerable and at risk are during extreme heat and whether that would be younger children and babies, elderly people and pregnant women, they talked about people with medical conditions, learning difficulties, disabilities and young people from poorer families or troubled families.
With the risk of heat exhaustion, heat and sun stroke it’s so important to consider everyone and take care of each other. Common symptoms of heat and dehydration may include:
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Headaches
- Fainting
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Abdominal cramps
When to Get Help in a Medical Emergency
Call 999 or local emergency services if someone shows any of the above symptoms.
- While waiting, if possible, ask for help to move the person to somewhere cooler
- If they are able, get them to remove any outer layers of clothing,
- If available use cold water, ice packs or cool showers to try and cool them down as quickly as possible
We also talked about the fact that new electric buses don’t have air conditioning – which creates additional risks – and the fact that we need more tree lined roads and spaces – with many trees across the UK removed over the last few decades to protect buses, as well as to reduce upkeep and maintenance – the shade from these trees helping to reduce the temperature of urban streets.
Some coping methods for members included:
- Covering windows with paper (also keeping windows and doors facing the sun shut and curtains closed – as it allows heat to enter your living space)
- Cool baths/ showers
- Fans – electric or handheld
- Being aware that drinking lots of water when you’re dehydrated is dangerous. Far safer to drink something with salts and sugars in/ juice etc.
You can find out more information about heat exhaustion and heatstroke from the NHS here.
Actions
Rebecca will create an engagement tool to send to members who couldn’t attend this meeting to explore other experiences and thoughts. We will look at this again during next month’s agenda and perhaps plan a piece of work to help raise awareness.
