St Ives Town Council has announced that Laura Peach and Rosana Cox have been appointed jointly as Youth Engagement Project officers.
Funded by St Ives Town Deal, these roles will ensure young people have access to and benefit from the wider regeneration projects taking place across the town.
The aim is to increase activities and opportunities for children and young people, and build a longer-term legacy from the Town Deal investment for the parish. As well as the main Town Deal projects, they will also help to co-ordinate and plan wider youth activities and engagement.
Laura and Rosana both live in St Ives and bring with them a wealth of complementary skills and knowledge.
Laura has spent more than 15 years working with young people, inside and outside of the educational environment. She spent eight years working in local secondary schools, teaching design technology and the arts, while also working with young people and their families in pastoral care.
In recent years, she has turned her attention to creating workshops for young people to develop confidence in artistic ability and participation in local events such as Kite Fest. She also created Art Club St Ives, which has been running at the Cornerstone library building since January 2023.
She said: “I’m excited to begin working with St Ives Town Council and the town deal projects to create an environment to enable the young people of St Ives to engage with the projects and find opportunities to flourish and grow.”
Rosana has a background in education, teaching in secondary schools and adult education colleges across a broad range of humanities and social science subjects, developing courses, and helping young people to gain new skills and to find their voice.
With a passion for growing food, until recently she lived in Spain, where she ran an organic farm and events venue. Rosana is a spoken word performer and musician, and since settling in St Ives she has been involved with various community projects and events.
She said: “I’m looking forward to putting my enthusiasm towards engaging young people in activities, helping them to develop and grow, and cultivating meaningful, mutual relationships between them and their local area.
“We are both really excited to be sharing this role and the opportunities that will be created to engage, encourage, and empower the young people in the St Ives community and the parish.”
Kirsty Arthur, chair of the town council’s facilities committee, said: “Before the pandemic hit in 2020, I held the first Youth Summit for west Penwith, right here in our very own Guildhall. One of the main priorities for the area that came out of the summit was the need to provide outreach, support, and co-ordinate more activities for the young people of St Ives.
“The town council recognised the importance of looking out for our younger community and pledged help in actively finding opportunities to do so. Now, with thanks to town deal funding, we are able to deliver on that pledge as we welcome two highly experienced, and respected youth officers to the team who are committed to improving support for our parish’s young people.
“We are very lucky to have such dedicated individuals working with us, and I wish them the best of luck as they begin in their new roles.”
