On Saturday, 16th November 2024, Children in Wales marked the 10th anniversary of Young Wales at the annual Young Wales Festival, held at Spark, Cardiff. The event also hosted the organisation's Annual General Meeting (AGM), where the 2023-2024 Impact Report was officially released.
Chair Helen Mary Jones welcomed attendees, and, after the usual agenda, Chief Executive Hugh Russell presented the official report. The Impact Report highlights the significant difference Children in Wales has made to its members, babies, children, young people, and wider Welsh society.
The past year marked 30 years of advocating for children's rights, celebrated through the release of the co-produced 30th anniversary book, "Pause, Play, Fast-Forward: The Journey of Children in Wales.” Of course, 2023-24 was much more than just a celebration of past achievements as we continued to push forward towards our vision of a Wales where all children and young people have all their rights fulfilled.
Key statistics included in the report showcase this work:
- Children in Wales ran 290 training sessions on topics such as safeguarding and children’s rights, with over 4,000 attendees
- Attended 42 meetings convened by Welsh Government
- A total of 200 Young Wales volunteers aged between 11 – 25
- Young Wales facilitated 643 young people to take part in 16 Welsh Government Consultations – through in-person focus groups
- 3,097 young people’s voices heard through engagement sessions, surveys, events, and consultations
You can read the full Children in Wales Impact Report 2023-2024 here: CiW Impact Report 2023-24
The meeting also acknowledged Suman Bhogal's contributions as Treasurer, whose role ended earlier this year. Whilst we are sad to lose such a valued member, we also welcomed new trustees who officially joined the board in 2024.
Thank you to all attendees, trustees, and staff for your constant dedication and hard work.