Our Voice: Learn Real Life Zine

Posted on by Sarah

Our Voice, Our Vote, Our Future: Learn Real Life is our project that gives young people in Carmarthenshire the opportunity to highlight the issues that matter to them. Our project is all about making sure that our voices are heard and taken into account by decision makers with the aim of improving the services we receive or to make a difference to the issues that affect our lives. We’re talking about things like education, mental health, community services, and more.

After we collected the responses the Our Voice Ballot, (please click here for background information) Teach Real Life Lessons In School was voted by young people as the most important issue, this became the Youth Council’s priority issue for the year. Over the past 18 months, we completed research, surveys, ran focus groups, held ballots and organised events to hear directly from young people Carmarthenshire.

We pushed for change and created the ‘Learn Real Life’ event to listen to young people’s views and experiences about the real-life lessons in their education setting. Held in February 2025, the Our Voice: Learn For Life event was a great success, supported by a number of our Secondary Schools, Decision Makers and Managers from Carmarthenshire County Councils Education Department, they worked together and participated in activities designed to gather their feedback on their experiences with real-life lessons being taught in schools.

Our member Bethan said “I had the opportunity to host the event, and I was nervous before starting but after some time I gained more confidence to speak in front of the young people, teachers and guests. It was also informative to hear the different perspectives from different schools. I find it very interesting how one school can be taught something different from another.”

We are happy to share with you our recently completed Learn Real Life Zine on the findings and feedback we received from young people who attended the event.

The Zine shares views on:
★ What life lessons do young people think they have learnt in school.
★ Explores views on the challenges and opportunities needed to navigate through everyday life.
★ Illustrates areas such as digital skills in future work, social and emotional challenges that need to be improved.

Click here to read our Learn Real Life Zine.

By running “Our Voice, Our Vote, Our Future”, we ensure that young people’s needs remain at the heart of local decision making. It’s our future so let’s make this count! We are excited to be attending Carmarthenshire Headteachers’ meetings before the Summer to share our findings and highlight the feedback to those who can make a difference.

To be involved in the conversation please leave a comment below or follow us on social media.

Article by
Bethan Jones 

We Matter… We Make A Difference

Posted on by Sarah

We have been working with Foothold Cymru recently to set Carmarthenshire Youth Council up as a volunteering placement to recognise the contribution, time and hard work of our members. We are so proud of our members that have signed up to their Volunteens Projects. Volunteens is a platform connecting young people with meaningful volunteer opportunities, who believe that through volunteering young people can develop new life skills and give back to their communities.

Our members who are aged between 11 – 21 years old devote and contribute a lot of time and work to the participation and children’s rights work on a local, regional and national level and the Volunteens project helps us celebrate and recognise our volunteering hours and the time we have given. We want our members to consider the personal benefits of volunteering and the positive impact it can have on people’s lives such as promoting good mental health, fostering a feeling of belonging, engaging in community participation, and strengthening social involvement more generally.

Our Chairperson Toby, said “volunteering with CYC has played a monumental role in shaping me as a person. It has provided countless opportunities to build my confidence, such as delivering speeches, and has empowered me with vital knowledge, whether recognizing the signs and symptoms of domestic abuse to protect myself or learning how to amplify the voices of other young people.“

Toby also added that “The work we do in CYC is invaluable, not only in addressing key issues but also promoting the growth and development of young people as a whole. It is essential that our efforts are recognised, as they create lasting change in both the young people of CYC and the wider community.”

Our member Kaya said that “volunteering with the Youth Council has made me become a better person socially while speaking to others and mentally as I learn and take part in new opportunities that help me develop such as making a speech during AGM which helped me with my confidence throughout our group and also planning our events which helped me with having a creative mind.”


Volunteens is a way of recognising what we have done and shows our commitment to making sure children and young people have a voice in Carmarthenshire. There are so many reasons to volunteer, so here are just a few:
★ Volunteering is a fantastic way to support a cause that you care about and learn new things along the way
★ Build your experience and skills while growing your confidence
★ Make a difference to others
★ Meet people, have fun and be part of your community
★ Feel valued and make a difference

“We are so grateful to Foothold Cymru for creating a volunteering scheme that acknowledges the time, commitment and contribution given by Carmarthenshire’s young people. It is important we recognise this! Not only does volunteering open up a wealth of experiences, but it also allows young people to gain a variety of skills, such as team-work, that are beneficial in day-to-day life. I can’t express how much their volunteering is appreciated and valued by the service” explained Sarah Jones, Senior Participation and Children’s Rights Officer for Carmarthenshire County Council.

Kelly Tomlinson, Head of Operations at Foothold Cymru said “I genuinely love Volunteens and the young people I’ve been able to meet with along the way. The project takes a fresh look at volunteering based around young people’s thoughts and opinions. The site and many of it’s resources have been co-produced by young people too and highlight the huge potential our young people have and how much they have to give. It’s also been great building relationships with many local organisations who are keen to take these Volunteens on board. Thanks to funding from the WCVA, Welsh Government and Volunteering in Wales, Volunteens now covers Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Powys and I’m really excited to see the difference young people can make across Wales.”

There really is a volunteering opportunity for everyone and if you are 11 years old or older and interested in volunteering or you are already Volunteering in Carmarthenshire and want to know more about the Volunteens Project please visit the Volunteens website by clicking here or contact Kelly on kelly@footholdcymru.org.uk

Young People Take The Lead at Annual General Meeting

Posted on by Sarah

Our AGM (Annual General Meeting) took place in County Hall on Thursday, 10th of April. Young people from across Carmarthenshire attended and we had the opportunity to share our achievements from the past year with County Council Elected Members, Managers, and Heads of service within the Education and children’s services department.

At the meeting we welcomed Director of Education and Children, Owian Lloyd to officially open the meeting. We are so grateful as it is his first Youth Council AGM since his appointment as Director in October 2024.  

Chaired by our outgoing Chairperson Magda Smith the AGM gives an opportunity for Youth Council Members to present reports and speeches on the achievements and work of the Youth Council over the year and to set priorities for the coming year.

Speaking at the AGM Magda, 18 from Pentregwenlais said “Looking back, I feel incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together. Serving as Chairperson of Carmarthenshire Youth Council has been a privilege. It’s opened doors I never imagined, from representing young voices in decision-making spaces to building lasting friendships. I’ve grown not only as a leader but also as a person. Most importantly, I hope I’ve made a difference by helping young people feel heard, empowered, and inspired to create change. While this chapter is ending, the impact and the memories will stay with me for a lifetime. I know the future of CYC is safe in the hands of the up-and-coming young people”

The past twelve months have been busy, with members working on officially launching our domestic abuse project called Never Silence the Violence and Our Voice Project where we worked with Secondary Schools to explore Real Life Lessons.

We have also been very fortunate to have Evie represent us, Carmarthenshire and Wales in the House of Commons as part of the UK Youth Parliament.

Following the AGM we are pleased to announce the exciting news that Carmarthenshire Youth Council’s Executive Board for 2025 are:
★ Toby Bithray – Chairperson
★ Ben Bantock – Vice Chairperson
★ Evie Somers – Secretary
★ Samuel Kwan – Treasurer
★ Zach Davis – Communications Officer

Toby, following receiving the position of Chairperson said “In my role as Vice Chairperson over the last twelve months, I have been proud to assist the Chairperson in meetings and leading the young people. Now I feel ready and excited to become Chairperson of the Youth Council myself. I hope to continue amplifying the voices of young people in CYC, and bring a further sense of community within the Youth Council.”

Cllr. Aled Vaughan Owen addressed the meeting to give an update on the collaboration work between Carmarthenshire County Councils Executive Board and Youth Council, a project developed to encourage young people to influence the priority areas of Carmarthenshire County Council. 

We also welcomed Kelly Tomlinson, Head of Operations at Foothold Cymru who presented the members with Volunteens certificates for their contribution to Carmarthenshire Youth Council. You can read more by clicking here on what Youth Council members said about signing up to the Volunteens project.

We were joined by Gill Adams, Principal Youth Support Services Manager who presented members who successfully completed an Introduction to Safeguarding Training delivered by Carmarthenshire Youth Support Service Staff during our Annual Summer Camp last year.

The AGM also allowed us to express our appreciation and to celebrate the hard work, dedication and valuable contribution of former Youth Council members who have recently left. Former members who were in attendance were presented by with a certificate and Award of Recognition by the Director of Education and Children, Owain Lloyd.

Our 2025 AGM was officially closed by County Councillor Carys Davies, Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Community Cohesion and Planning Policy who addressed the chambers with a positive message about the importance of continuing to be the voice of young poeple and to champion young peoples issues locally and nationally in the Senedd and Houses Of Parliament.

If you would like more information or are interested in being a part of the CYC then please reach out and get in touch with us by email on info@carmarthenshire.gov.uk or send a message on any of our Social Media platforms Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly Twitter)

Evie Joins National Debate At The House Of Commons

Posted on by Sarah
With passion and purpose: Evie speaks on political literacy at the UK Youth Parliament’s House of Commons Annual Sitting

Our Member, Evie Somers, from Carmarthen represented Carmarthenshire at the UK Youth Parliament Annual Sitting at the House Of Commons, Westminster. The Annual Sitting took place on Friday 28th February 2025 and along with 300 other Members of Youth Parliament (MYPs) Evie debated and voted on key issues which affect young people across the UK.

Evie was elected as the MYP for Carmarthenshire, in August 2024 and will stand for a two-year term. MYP’s are 11 to 18 years old and represent the views of their peers.

During the Annual Sitting, which was presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, young people from across the UK as well as the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies debated and voted on five key topics, these were:
★ Voting 16 and 17-year-olds
★ Increasing the minimum wage
★ Free transport for young people
★ The need for political education
★ Period dignity for everyone

Evie said “It was such an honour to represent my peers, their experiences, and their voices at the House of Commons. During a day filled with passionate debate, I had the opportunity to deliver my speech on the importance of political literacy, highlighting how ‘democracy does not function on apathy’ and that it instead ‘thrives on awareness participation and empowerment’. Click play on the video below to watch Evie’s passionate speech at the House of Commons.

Evie delivering her speech at the House of Commons.

Following a busy day of debating in the Chamber, the day ended with the UK Youth Parliament setting key motions on issues affecting young people nationwide, ensuring that youth voices are central of policy discussions. Youth Parliament Members voted to prioritise Lowering the voting age to 16 (UK Reserved Campaign) and Period dignity (Devolved Campaign) as their campaigns for the upcoming year.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons said that he was “very proud that this sitting of the UK Youth Parliament will be the most inclusive and exciting yet.”

The event in the UK Parliament coincided with the launch the UK Youth Parliament Manifesto for 2024-2026, ‘Shaping Our Future, Today Not Tomorrow’, which was created by young people at their Annual Conference last year, drawing on the views and issues raised by young people from across the UK.

As a dedicated advocate for the voice of young people, Evie will continue to work alongside decision-makers to drive progress in these priority areas. Ensuring young people’s voices are heard and championing for meaningful change for young people throughout Carmarthenshire, Wales and across the UK.

Carmarthenshire Council Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Cllr Glynog Davies congratulated Evie on representing the county at the UK Youth Parliament and also for being elected as the Member of UK Youth Parliament (MYP) for Carmarthenshire.

For the first time ever a Member of the Youth Parliament made history as the first young person to use British Sign Language to deliver their speech in the House of Commons. A BSL interpreter communicated this via a microphone in the Commons Chamber.

Excitement Is Building For Our 2025 Annual General Meeting

Posted on by Sarah
Our Executive Board Members. Pictured left to right: Sam Kwan – Treasurer, Zach Davis – Communications Officer, Magda Smith – Chairperson, Toby Bithray – Vice Chair and Evie Somers – Secretary

We are excited to be holding our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday 10th April 2025 in the Chambers at County Hall, Carmarthen at 5:00pm.

We have had a busy year, and we are looking forward to our AGM. The meeting gives us the chance to look back at the work we’ve been involved in and the positive achievements we have made over the last twelve months. Once again, this year we are fortunate to have the support of decision makers, managers and elected members form Carmarthenshire County Council attending our meeting.  

Amongst the issues the Youth Council have worked on and the projects they are proud of are the creation and official launch of the Never Silence The Violence Docudrama; highlighting the need for real life lessons in our schools as part of their Our Voice, Our Vote, Our Future project; involvement in the recruitment and selection of staff. Also, new for this year, they have enrolled on Volunteens, a project delivered by Foothold Cymru that acknowledged their commitment and volunteering time to as Youth Councillors.  

We are pleased to welcome Owain Lloyd, Director of Education and Children’s Services to officially open our 2025 meeting, along with the support of Cllr Glynog Davies Executive Board Member for Education and Children who will be addressing the meeting.

Our Chairperson Magda Smith, 18 from Pentregwenlais said “being part of Carmarthenshire Youth Council has been an incredible experience, and this AGM is a chance to recognise the dedication of our members. Seeing young people shaping change is inspiring, and I’m grateful for everyone’s contributions over the past 12 months. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Youth Council building on our successes in the coming year.”

For more info or if you have any questions, you can contact us by CLICK HERE!