Community Rep interview
by Jack Windle

The Messenger plans to interview all ten community reps elected onto the New Deal Partnership Board in March. The second to be interviewed is Adam Jones, the youngest of the reps.

Why did you stand for election to be a rep and how do you feel about representing Burngreave now that you are one?
I decided to stand for election because I felt that there wasn’t really anything for the young people to do in Burngreave and I feel that the youth haven’t really got a voice.

I just feel lucky to be representing Burngreave – I’m proud of the area, I’m proud of where I live.

How are you settling in to the role of Partnership Board rep?
It took a while at first, but now I’m settling down to it a lot more and understanding it better. There are a lot of components that you need to understand, its quite complicated and you need to know how the whole thing works.

What would you like to see change/happen while you are on the Board?
I think there are quite a lot of issues that need to be tackled. Crime and the environment are two of the most important things. I don’t think a lot of people in Burngreave are proud of where they live and therefore aren’t bothered about things like the litter problems. I’d like to see more youth provision and more awareness about crime and how to prevent it; security matters, stuff like that.

Also I’d like perceptions of Burngreave to change. I think a lot of people look down on Burngreave, but that is changing. I’d like people to say ‘look at Burngreave, everyone’s living in harmony’. People’s perceptions are changing – 10 years ago there wasn’t as much going on in Burngreave, now you’ve got New Deal and other organisations working together to improve things. It’s slowly making a difference. It’ll help when the area looks a lot better, when things like the Vestry Hall get sorted.

Do you feel you now have the power to make a difference?
I do, yes. I’ve had the experience of growing up in Burngreave, I can help make a difference.

What would make being a rep easier?
Nothing really. Some people say ‘you’re not doing anything in the area’ when, quite clearly, there are things being done. Obviously its not going to be this big dramatic change overnight. More positivity, that’s it really.

Other Community Rep interviews:

Issue 32, June 2003: Aisha Special K
Issue 34, September 2003: Natasha MacFarlane
Issue 35, October 2003: Tony Hall
Issue 36, November 2003: Dorrett Buckley-Greaves
Issue 37, December 2003: Kelvin Pine