Agenda item

In accordance with the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (Annex B), the Authority had a duty to support the Carmarthenshire Youth Council (CYC) as a representative body of young people to act as a channel for their views across the county and represent those views to local and national decision-making bodies.

The Committee duly considered an update on the work of the CYC in accordance with the four main areas of representation pertaining to Education, Universal, Special Interest and the Welsh Youth Parliament. 

Representatives from the CYC thereupon addressed the Committee to provide a synopsis of the range of opportunities offered by the CYC which included policy discussions, community projects and youth-led campaigns; the aim of which was to create positive change and build a more inclusive and vibrant society.

The report highlighted some notable successes, engagements, landmarks and campaigns of the CYC which demonstrated the impact and importance of young people’s involvement in decision making and decision-making processes locally, nationally and further afield.  Reference was also made to the positive influence of the CYC upon its members; these included valuable skills such as confidence building, speech writing, public speaking, problem solving and teamwork.

The issues/observations raised by the Committee were addressed as follows:-

The Committee commended the CYC on the array of project work undertaken to champion important issues such as Bullying, Childrens Rights, Mental Health, Period Dignity and Domestic Violence.  Members were also delighted to note that the dedication of the CYC, both as an organisation and by individual members, had been formally acknowledged over the years with numerous prestigious local and national Awards which included the CAVS and High Sherriff organisation of the year and Community Hero Award ‘Child of Courage’ accolade.

In response to a query, the Committee was provided with an overview of the CYC structure and selection process whereby the Council invited nominations from its four areas of representation to represent the views and opinions of all young people in the county.

The CYC representatives, in response to a question, expressed that members of the CYC received robust support and encouragement from Officers which afforded them the opportunity to have their voices listened to; the impact of which was evidenced within the quality of work produced by the CYC.

With regard to the sharing of best practice amongst Youth Councils, reference was made to opportunities to engage with other Youth Councils at a national level as part of its participation in the Welsh and UK Youth Parliament, however it was acknowledged that engagement at local level could be sporadic due to some other Youth Councils experiencing recruitment difficulties.

Reference was made to the “Our Voice, Our Vote, Our Future” consultation exercise launched in October 2023 to garner the views of secondary schools on the topics/motions that were most important to them and the wider school.  The consultation culminated in a total of 5,221 respondents, which was, in the main, attributable to the efforts undertaken by the CYC members and the robust support provided by Officers.  The results identified that the most important topics for young people centred upon the need to be taught real life lessons, such as budgeting, first aid and cooking etc. The Head of Strategy and Learner Support assured the Committee that the results of the consultation would be further discussed with the CYC with a view to integrating some aspects, where feasible, into the curriculum. 

The Chair emphasised the importance of recognising and raising awareness of the sterling work undertaken by the CYC.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.