Calls for change in youth council

Press, 10 October 1984, Page 12

Calls for change in youth council

Youth participation is a topic that is going to be discussed a lot during International Youth Year next year. It is one of the three themes for the year. Many young people feel they do not have enough of a say in decisions, particularly those that affect them. How can young people become more involved in decision making? The key to youth participation is representation and active involvement in deci-sion-making bodies, according to a Christchurch lawyer and convenor of the Youth Year Canterbury committee, Ms Caroline Risk. Young people must accept responsibility for their own actions, but they need exposure to public institutions and experience at dealing with community resources, she says. One way of achieving this is through regional youth councils. Christchurch has had a youth council since 1980. It is made up of representatives from 31 secondary schools in the Canterbury area, and meets at approximately six-weekly intervals during the school year. Members are usually senior students, appointed for one year. Representatives from interested youth groups and students who have left school within thelast two years can also attend. Its objectives are: • To give young people an opportunity to put forward views on matters affecting them.

•To give members a bet- : ter understanding of local i authority administration and activity. 1 • To initiate programmes that will benefit young j people. i •To spread information I about 1 youth issues to other 1 youth organisations, young ! people, and the general pub- J lie. ' ! Facilities and back-up i

Giving a wide range of young people a say in decisions about things that matter most to them is a major theme of International Youth Year, 1985. Today FORUM looks at the impact of the Christchurch youth council.

turns out to be the best person, but in some cases members are only there because they have to be. “This seems to be reflected in the fact that people do not have the time to get involved in the council’s activities.” Having only high school members limits the base of the council, to some extent, he considers, but it is prim-

services, including a fulltime liaison officer, are provided by (he Christchurch City Council. The council’s biggest problem is that many of its members are only appointed because they were head boy or girl of their school, according to a council member, Mr Tim Albertson. i “In a lot of cases that

arily aimed at the 13 to 18 age group. The majority of these people are still at school. “We have invited representatives from other groups, but they have not supported the council excessively.” One of the best results to come out of International Youth Year would be the development of a broader based youth council, Caroline Risk believes. “It could include school pupils, tertiary students, employed and unemployed young people as well as representatives from multicultural groups. ■ “There should be a range of ages to reflect the different priorities among young people,” she says. This kind of development could well be a consequence of International Youth Year, predicts the council’s chairman, Sir Hamish Hay. The youth council arose out of meetings held at the City Council during International Year of the Child in 1979. It was felt the council should have some sort of link with young people, he explains. “We decided to invite senior school pupils to constitute a youth council as perhaps the best forum for a line of communication with the youth of our community. This was who we rightly or wrongly felt we wanted to hear from.” While an expanded youth council may be getting away from this original idea, the City Council will not close its mind to any changes, says Sir Hamish.