WE HOST OUR 20TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Posted on by Sarah

Our Annual General Meeting or AGM for short is a way that we as Young People are able to show, say and celebrate the work, projects and the positive achievements that we have had as a Youth Council over the last year.

ELECTIONS

During the evening, we were treated to inspiring speeches from our talented members who had put their names forward as candidates. The speeches gave us an insight into the skills, qualities and experience each candidate would bring to the role, helping us making the decision on who we would vote for in our Elections.     

All the young people at our AGM took part in the Elections. The votes were in, the final count took place… it was a nail-biter and a very closely fought Election.

The Official Results of the 10 April 2024 Election of Carmarthenshire Youth Councils Executive Board are:

★ Chairperson – Magda Smith
★ Vice Chairperson – Toby Bithray
★ Secretary – Evie Somers
★ Treasurer – Sam Kwan
★ Communications Officer – Zach Davis

We are grateful to all our members who stepped forward to stand as candidates and give speeches, well done! We welcome our newly elected Executive Board with excitement and look forward to the next two years. Congratulations!

Magda, our newly appoint Chairperson said “ I am so grateful to have the votes and trust of my fellow Youth Council members, in my 2 year term as Chair I aim to support all young people in Carmarthenshire the way I have been, I want to help their ideas flourish, give them all every opportunity, and push their voices above and beyond while supporting them in every way they need. The future I see is the young people of Carmarthenshire paving the way for the next generation with their ideas leading the way.”

It was a very busy and full meeting held in County Hall, Carmarthen on Wednesday 10th April 2024 and once again, this year we were fortunate to have the support of decision makers, managers, elected members form Carmarthenshire County Council and guests from Schools and national organisations attending our meeting.

OUR SUCCESSES

Over the last 12 months we have been involved in a variety of projects, here are just a few of our highlights:  
★ Our Voice, Our Vote, Our Future
★ Never Silence the Violence DocuDrama
★ Young Wales
★ Welsh Youth Parliament
★ UKYP
★ Rights Together Conference
★ Summer Camp
★ Youth Symposium, Messines Belgium
★ Consultations and Campaigns             

SUPPORT

We were pleased have the support of County Council Executive Board Members, Decision Makers and Managers from the County Council.  We welcomed Gareth Morgans, Director of Education and Children’s Services to officially open our 2024 meeting, along with the support from County Council Leader Cllr. Darren Price who also addressed the meeting.

GETTING INVOVLED

If you are interested in joining us on Carmarthenshire Youth Council or would like to find out more about us then please reach out and contact us by clicking HERE.



OUR VOICE: HAVE YOUR SAY AND VOTE NOW

Posted on by Sarah
A young person voting on a ballot paper.

We are excited to share “Our Voice, Our Vote, Our Future“… Our BIGGEST Youth Consultation! Have your say on what is important to you! This is your chance to directly impact the future of Carmarthenshire. The top issue voted for, will become the focus of our projects and campaigns, ensuring your voices are heard and acted upon.

Take a look at the TOP 10 ISSUES that made it onto the ballot paper…. and don’t forget to use your VOTE!

The TOP 10 ISSUES

Improving Mental Health Awareness in Schools
Promote mental well-being with additional well-being days and expanding opportunities for more extracurricular activities

Stop Body Shaming
End body shaming and raise awareness of its harmful impact on young individuals

Stop Anti-social Behaviour
Engaging with and creating more community spaces for young people. Educate more people about anti-social behaviour

Stop Vaping/Smoking
Limit access and make vapes less appealing for young people

Teach First Aid in Schools
Expansion on basic first aid by learning more life-saving techniques to save more lives

More outdoor lessons in Schools
Encourage greater outdoor engagement. Discover, grow, and learn where your food comes from.

Stop Bullying
More safeguarding and education for bullying of all kinds

The state of school and lack of funding
Increase funding for schools to improve their quality, giving young people a better learning experience

More Opportunities for Young People
More open days, apprenticeships and work experience for young people

Teach real life lessons in school
Beyond textbooks: Teach skills that launch life (finance, careers, CVs)

VOTE HERE!

Click HERE to download a copy of our Poster.

Together, we can make sure every young voice in Carmarthenshire is heard! Join in the conversation on socials by using #OurVoiceOurVoteOurFuture

TOM AT YOUTH SYMPOSIUM, MESSINES

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Image of the group (18 people) who took part in the Youth Symposium. They are standing in front of the large central stone tower in the Island Of Ireland Peace Park.

Our member Thomas Vaughan-Jones, 19 of Llandyfan recently represented Wales and the UK in the Island of Ireland Peace Park: Youth Symposium held in Belgium.

The Island of Ireland Peace Park in Messines, Belgium recalls the shared sacrifice of those from the island of Ireland from all political and religious traditions who fought and died in World War One. A Peace Pledge, written 25 years ago, is on display in the central circle of the Peace Park.

As the Park marks its 25th anniversary, this year, Tom was one of fifteen young adults who were invited by Youth Bank International, and run by members from Corymeela, to create a new Modern Peace Pledge that reflects their priorities at the event that took place between the 9th and 13th November, 2023.

During his time in Messsines, Tom had the opportunity to meet with other young adults from across the world, from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ukraine and other home nations. Together they explored opinions and experiences of conflict, peace, harmony and justice. It was very interesting for Tom to hear the stories and history of others cultures and nations while also sharing his own experiences.

Image and PDF Link to the new modern Peace Pledge created by the group in Messines, Belgium.

Over the five days Tom contributed to reviewing the Peace Pledge and collaboratively creating a new Modern Peace Pledge which was presented on Saturday 11th November at a formal ceremony at the Island of Ireland Peace Park. Tom also took part in a tour of battlefields and met with Major of Messines.

Tom said “I had a really fun experience that I will never forget. I have made new connections with young people from all around the world, and hope that our important work over these five days will not be forgotten. I’m really thankful for this opportunity, and hope to take part in similar projects like this one in the future”

Sarah Jones, Senior Participation Officer for Carmarthenshire County Council said “This five-day programme empowered and inspired Tom and other young minds to explore conflict and building peace in global and local context. It was a fantastic opportunity and we are grateful to Youth Bank International for making the experience possible.”

Off To London We Go… For Olivia

Posted on by Sarah

Our UK Youth Parliament Member, Olivia, 17 from Hendy is preparing to represent Carmarthenshire and Wales at the UK Youth Parliament Annual Sitting taking place in the House Of Commons, Westminster later this week. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​The event, which is their twelfth sitting, is taking place on Friday 17th November 2023 where Olivia with other representatives will contribute to a debate and vote to decide the issues they will prioritise for their ‘Food for Learning’ campaign. 

Olivia has been a Youth Council Member for over 5 years and has been elected by other Youth Councillors to represent Carmarthenshire. She will be joining over 200 Members of the UK Youth Parliament aged 11-18 who will take part in a national debate in the House of Commons. Speaker of The House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP will be welcoming the Youth Parliament for their annual sitting in the house, with the afternoon sessions chaired by Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Nigel Evans MP

Olivia, who is a dedicated and passionate young person said;
“Being able to represent Carmarthenshire at the Annual Sitting in the House of Commons, London excites me. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity but also a little anxious. I’m particularly interested in hearing what young people from other places have to say and expressing my own views. I sincerely hope that I will have the opportunity to speak with many new people and explore a variety of topics that are significant to young people in the UK.”

Members of the Youth Parliament will vote. Each debate topic will be introduced with speeches from regionally elected Members of Youth Parliament, who will put forward arguments for and against the issue, before opening up to the floor. Following the five debates, each Member of Youth Parliament in the Chamber will vote for their top issue to decide which issue will become their national campaign for 2023

THE 5 TOPICS BEING DEBATED;
★ Holiday Hunger – Create provisions to ensure young people have access to meals outside of term time
★ Quality of Food – School meals should be made using good, healthy and nutritious ingredients and no ultra-processed foods. 
★ Standardisation –   Ensure young people all have access to the same quality and volume of food in schools. 
★ Financing and Funding – Create arrangements to fund school meals. 
★ Additional Pricing – Ensure the prices of any additional food are reasonable and consistent across the UK.

Following the sitting, Members of Youth Parliament will campaign on the issues they vote as their priority. They will also conclude their year-long efforts to draft their Parliamentary bill.

Sarah Powell, Carmarthenshire’s Senior Participation Officer said
“Olivia is incredibly excited to be a part of the UK Youth Parliament and it’s an amazing opportunity for her. It’s great to see so many young people engaging in politics to talk about issues that matter to them and contributing to making a difference, especially in the financially challenging climate that we face.  I’m so proud of Olivia in representing Carmarthenshire at such an important national event.”

The debates will be streamed live (with a 20 minute delay) on Parliamentlive.tv or you can follow the conversation on Social Media using #UKYPHoC

CARMARTHENSHIRE’S BIGGEST YOUTH CONSULTATION

Posted on by Sarah
Carmarthenshire’s Youth Consultation

Are you a young person living in Carmarthenshire? Are you passionate about making your community a better place? If so, we want to hear from you!

Carmarthenshire’s Annual Youth Consultation “Our Voice, Our Vote, Our Future” is a unique opportunity for young people aged 11-18 to have their say on the issues that matter most to them. We want to hear from young people from all backgrounds and experiences. Your input will help to shape the future of Carmarthenshire.

So, how do we select our topics?

On November 24th, we will be hosting an exciting event where school representatives will present motions and debate the issues most important to them. Following the event, a vote will take place to determine the top 10 topics for the consultation ballot paper. The ballot papers will be available online from January and will be open to all young people in Carmarthenshire aged 11-18.

How do we vote?

Voting opens online as soon as we announce the top motions that made it onto the ballot papers!

Stay tuned to our social media and the hashtag #OurVoiceOurVoteOurFuture to be the first to know when voting opens and to get updates on the consultation.

Make sure you share with all your friends so that they can get involved too – this is your chance to make a real difference in your community, so don’t miss out!

Article by
Lucas Palenek