Youth Councils in Herts

Youth Councils in Herts

If you are keen to improve things in your local area for you and your friends then a Youth Council may be just what you need.

Have your say - youth councils

What exactly does it do?

A Youth Council is a group of young people keen to change things in their local area. Whether it is looking for somewhere for young people to hang out, looking for things to do such as music/dance events, promoting the need for larger skate parks, park equipment such as basketball hoops or football nets or raising awareness of wider issues such as transport, sexual health and personal safety.

Youth Councillors are all aged between 11 and 19 years of age (25 if you have a learning difficulty or disability).

How does it work?

The group gets together on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis dependent on their needs. They discuss the problems young people face and how situations can be improved. They come up with ideas on how to talk to other young people, listen to what they have to say and put together a plan of action which could include completing applications for funding.

This plan is then taken forward either by Youth Councillors themselves or taken to the people who make the decisions on what happens in their area -  this could be local Councillors, District Councillors or sometimes County Councillors. Others such as the Police, the PCT (NHS) and leisure services can also be involved depending on the issue or event.

All groups are supported by a Youth Connexions Youth Worker and/or a representative from the local Council.  Both of those supporters have contacts in other agencies to help the group in its work.

How can I get involved?

Any young person is welcome to visit their local Youth Council to see what it is all about. Perhaps you have the idea that they are very formal and structured meetings and whilst there is an element of that, generally they are just groups of young people coming together and sharing ideas, discussing current issues and thinking of ways in which they can help improve things in their area.

Follow the links below to see where you can find  local Youth Councils on a map. You can also speak to your local Youth Worker if you are interested and they will be able to get the information for you. Not all Youth Councils are shown below.

 Downloads:
  • Read the British Youth Council's newsletter called Youth Voice, with over 100 stories of young people's contributions to their communities - see Hertfordshire's update on page 6