Oxfordshire young people launch new website

Oxcentric is part of the new OXME website for children and young people which aims to put all the  information and support for young people across the county in one place.

The website offers advice on topics including: health, education, personal safety and money matters. It contains two main sections, Oxcentric for older young people and Boombox for younger young people and children.

Launching this October

Ox.me will go live this autumn and entter a phase of active development and improvement.

The launch, being held at Cherwell School on September 30th, will  begin this process and a provide an opportunity for people to try out the site and suggest ideas on how it could be further developed.

As the site develops there will be further opportunities to get involved.

Interactive

Alison Partridge, Engagement Manager at Oxfordshire County Council, said:

“We’re launching the site in its early stages to get feedback from a wide audience: this is the start of the development.
“It’s a chance for children, young people and other invited guests, to try out the site and tell us what they think of it.”
“There will be more content and more interactive elements. We will be providing better access to information in ways that appeal to children & young people.”
“We hope it will make it easier to access information in ways that suit children & young people’s lifestyles.”

Definitive

Cherwell School pupil Greg Holyoake, 12, has been involved in the project since its inception. He said:

"It has been a great journey working with the county council on OXME. Right from the beginning I knew it would be a great website! It will make it much easier and simpler for children and young people in Oxfordshire to find out more about the county and what it can offer, also it will make it easier to learn outside of school".

Louise Chapman, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, said:

“We know that children & young people increasingly look to the internet for information and advice.
“We’re very excited to have involved children & young people in bringing together our online resources, and are confident that OXME will quickly become the definitive website for children & young people in Oxfordshire”

Value for money

The new website will be using similar systems to the main Oxfordshire County Council and all key tools will be kept in-house, allowing work done for the new website to help inform and improve all of Oxfordshire County Council's web offer.

This new website provides a cost-effective and sustainable way to streamline and improve the way we currently offer online information and services to children, families and young people.