socialgandhi

Check out a great new website that aims to help create real relationships between young people and the decision makers who influence their lives. The www.wimps.org.uk site aims to be ‘informative, inspiring, un-biased and accessible to everyone; creating, sustaining and multiplying educated and empowered young people as a significant force for good in Northern Ireland’ (by the way WIMPS stands for ‘Where Is My Public Servant?’!). The WIMPS website and project is run by and for young people and is about getting you people’s ideas out there, and in particular to help them to influence decision makers in government and other places.

The site has a database of all public representatives in Northern Ireland from local Council to European Parliament level, searchable by postcode. You can then write a message, and click on a button to send emails to these representatives about the issues they are interested in.

WIMPS staff, volunteers and site users update the site on a daily basis with articles and information about a range of issues of interest for young people, and reports on projects and issues that groups of young people are working on. Young people all over Northern Ireland can also contact the site to receive direction and advice in how to take action on community issues that affect them and that they feel strongly about.

The new site also has an ability to create and use multi-media to get the message out. Video ‘hotseats’ are interviews conducted by young people with leading political figures. These interviews are designed to get politicians views on issues important to young people, but also to find out more about the politician as a person.

Also check out the ‘Your Project’ section where young people can talk about a project they are working on, what problems they’ve encountered, advice for other groups, and a facility to upload resources for others to look at.

WANT TO BE A WIMP?

WIMPS is about young people being heard and taking action, that means that ANY young person who wants to be taken seriously can join us in the work we are trying to do. So if you want to get involved in any way at all, surf the WIMPS site, see what you think and then contact them and join the team!