Welcome to the first edition of the Plenet newsletter

A lot has happened since the Public Legal Education and Support (PLEAS) Task Force published its report: Developing Capable Citizens:The role of Public Legal Education (172 KB). Since then a PLE network (Plenet) has been funded by the Ministry of Justice, the website has launched, and over 260 Individuals and organisations have joined the network. If you haven’t joined already here's how.

Plenet exists to spread awareness of the need for public legal education, to disseminate best practise and to act as a resource for organisations and individuals interested in PLE. We are collecting materials of all kinds on both the theory and practice of PLE. Do you have projects or papers you would like to share with the wider PLE community? Email Info@plenet.org.uk

In this issue we introduce you to some of our members with a spotlight on work with young people.

Young people and PLE

• Young people's experience of law-related events: the role of public legal education
• Child rights and peer representation
• Youth justice
• Human rights training for young people

Young people's experience of law-related events: the role of public legal education

Plenet has produced a paper that aims to improve understanding of the need for and value of public legal education amongst young people. It looks at the role of public legal education in promoting resilience and improving life skills. The findings suggest that public legal education isn’t just about preventing problems but also about creating opportunities and improving life-chances.
We'll be talking to young people themselves about what they think about PLE and how it can be delivered in a partnership project we are launching in the coming weeks…watch this space!
read the article (124 KB)

Plenet: Research and Theory page

Peer representation project

The consortium for street children represents 40 organisations who work with street children and runaways in the UK and abroad, hard-to- reach and often failed by the rights that ought to protect them, CSC works to raise awareness of vulnerable children and promote early intervention and harm reduction strategies.

Following the success of their Voices from the Streets;citizenship resources for schools, focussing on how citizenship can be understood from a development perspective, they are currently expanding their work with schools. Their Peer Representation Project involves 10 Tower Hamlet schools encouraging young people to consider Convention rights in the context of street children; they'll be filming their work and producing and sharing the result with other children. Here black letter law meets active learning of life skills from speaking out to leadership. Real experience gained in production and advocacy raises the profile of issues affecting disadvantaged young people, gets them thinking about their own rights and gets them talking about their own lives and perspectives.

Plenet: Self help and legal capability page

Youth justice and knife crime; the role of PLE.

National centre for citizenship and the law is bringing its award winning crime reduction initiative to London. Its Citizenship outreach programme aims to assist primary and secondary schools to challenge a culture of gangs and violent crime, and think through the consequences of becoming involved in the criminal justice system. By bringing together professionals and agencies involved in anti-social behaviour with youngsters NCCL seeks to foster active citizenship and bring young people together to consider the effect that violent crime has on their communities.
Read the article (65 KB)

Plenet: Raising awareness page

Human rights training for young people

Independent Academic Research Studies is a youth led think tank involved in a number of PLE initiatives from youth justice to homophobic bullying. Their human rights training programme approaches rights by presenting case studies, and working through both the formal principles and the language and substance of rights. IARS's unique youth-led approach gives young people the chance to get involved at every level, and offers a channel for their voices to be heard in the research and policy arena whilst learning crucial skills along the way.
Read the article (47 KB)

Plenet: Self help and legal capability page

Plenet events

Are you wondering how you can promote PLE to your funders or service users? We'll shortly be bringing a number of our members together to formulate better and more effective ways of marketing PLE. We'll be reporting on the event on the website and we'll produce some resources that might help you to manage the marketing aspects of your own PLE work. Email us if you have an interest in promoting PLE. Info@plenet.org.uk

National Pro Bono Week is on the way!
We'll be holding a celebration event with our partners, the Civil Justice Council and the Law Society during the week beginning the 10th November. A whole host of events highlighting the amazing work of the pro bono community are happening around the UK; with plenty of resources and materials for those who are interested in developing pro bono projects themselves have a look. ProBonoUk.net

PLE Conference
We're planning to hold our national PLE conference in February 2009, it'll be a chance to see what's been going on, to meet others with a passion for PLE and to showcase your own research or project.

Writers wanted
Plenet needs writers to help produce articles for the website and newsletter. If you’re interested in writing about PLE please email martin.jones@advicenow.org.uk.

We are aiming to produce this newsletter on at least a bi-monthly basis. To unsubscribe email Info@plenet.org.uk with unsubscribe as the Subject.

September 2008