UKYP - Calling All Young People

The council along with the Barnsley Youth Council are now working closely to make sure that young people are not only listened to, but are involved in the key decision-making within Barnsley.

Now being involved in workshops, and frequently meeting with the decision makers of the borough, young people are now shaping the way forward for the town they want to see in the future.

How do you get your ideas and voices heard?

To make sure that all young people from across the town are involved in the decision-making process, youth forum support workers (YFSW's) are now employed by the youth service. The YFSW's now work alongside young people to help them in getting their voices heard.

The Barnsley Youth Council has also undertaken this. Youth Summits, a big agenda for the youth council, have made sure that all the nine forum area's of the borough have held and hosted their own summit. These concentrated on the aspirations of the young people, and also made sure that the youth council were able to more easily draw up an agenda for action.

What other things are planned to let young people have their say?

The youth council working alongside agencies from across Barnsley are aiming to make sure that as many young people's voices, from as many diverse backgrounds as possible are able to have their thought and ambitions are realised.

Meetings are constantly being set up for young people to attend, and further information on these can always be obtained from Andy Fleming, the youth voice and influence co-ordinator, at AndyFleming@barnsley.gov.uk

What type of elections and when?

The Barnsley Youth Council elections are held in February every year. In these elections, anyone between the ages of 13-19 can stand for election, and all people within that age range are invited to vote.

Within each forum area, two youth councillors are elected. The role of the youth councillor is to represent the views of all young people in his or her area. Issues are brought up at monthly youth council meetings, and also the chance to meet the decision-makers of Barnsley is frequently available.

Once the youth council are elected, the two MYP's are then elected by the youth council, and move on to represent Barnsley in the regional and national arena, and serve for one term of office (one year.)

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