Conwy Youth Council members share their experience

Conwy Youth Council members share their experience

Conwy Youth Council Members Callum Morrissey and Imogen Griffiths at Ysgol Clywedog

The Chair and Secretary of Conwy Youth Council recently visited Ysgol Clywedog in Wrexham to help and support them with developing their school council.

The collaboration was a fantastic way of sharing best practices; showcasing to the student leaders how they can develop effective teamwork, leadership and communication skills to increase the delivery and output of their school council.

Conwy Youth Council, whose members are aged between 11 and 18, aims to help make sure that all young people have a voice. The student leaders from Ysgol Clywedog and Conwy’s Youth Council members explored topics such as structure, framework, values and how to create an effective delivery of proposed actions.

The main objective of collaborating is to enhance youth participation, increase the number of student leaders within the student council, and to make young people’s voices stronger overall.

The United Nations Convention on The Rights of the Child, Article 12 states that all young people must have their opinions listened to and acted upon. The Youth Council’s vision is to see all school councils having a consistent structure to allow all young people to feel heard, respected and valued.

The groups also worked with ‘Mind Our Future’, a young people’s mental health charity funded by the Community Fund of the National Lottery Fund, which aims to help young people with their emotional health and wellbeing, and empower them to get their voices heard by service providers and decision-makers.

Zac, a member of Ysgol Clywedog’s School Council said, “The Conwy Youth Council came to us at Ysgol Clywedog to assist our student council with their structure, goals and next projects and we took great interest in what they had to say to us. We believe that the Conwy Youth Council was incredibly useful in aiding our student council and would definitely recommend other schools to follow suit in relying on the Conwy Youth Council if they are struggling with anything.”

Conwy Youth Engagement and Belonging Service is for young people aged 11-24 living in Conwy County. It provides a range of services including youth clubs and activities, opportunities to undertake DofE (Duke of Edinburgh Award), employability support and wellbeing advice.

The Youth Service aims to support young people’s transition to adulthood, helping them to take a positive role in their communities, through positive activities and relationships.

Youth Engagement and Belonging Service - Conwy County Borough Council