Elected Youth Council

The peer listeners have consulted with young people and have now formed a proposal for a youth council in Poole.

Since December the Peer Listeners have been working on a proposal for a youth council in Poole. We were asked to consult young people on their thoughts and views on the possibility of an elected youth council. The consultation was a success and young people responded positively with great enthusiasm and interest.

Many of the young people involved in the consultation have shown an interest in the idea and process, and as Peer Listeners it has been important to feedback to young people on the impact and progress their views and opinions have made. The website aims to keep young people in Poole informed as to the progress of the proposal and all developments.

The full proposal can be viewed on request from the Peer Listeners: please contact us at peerlisteners@peerlisteners.co.uk

This is a summary of the key points in our proposal, however it is essential to note that there are many points still open to suggestions. The topics discussed can be divided into 4 sections:

Participation
· Who can be involved?
· Where will the members be from?
· Will schools be involved?
· How much commitment is needed?

Election Structure
· How can young people vote?
· When will the elections be held?
· Where will the elections be held?

Council Structure and Role
· Will all the schools and colleges be represented?
· What is the role of the youth council?
· Will the youth council be accountable to the young people of Poole?
· Where will the meetings be held?
· Will the youth council be split up into political parties?

Publicity
· How will schools find out about the youth council?
· Will the Peer Listeners be visiting organisations in the Borough?

If you haven't been consulted with on this issue and would like to voice your opinion then get in contact with us, either by chatting with us or by email.

email: peerlisteners@peerlisteners.co.uk

Votes @ 16

Currently the Liberal Democrats support this proposal and Tony Blair has hinted that he may support it in the future..What did the young people of Poole think?

The National Youth Parliament strongly supports voting at the age of 16, click here to view their campaign.

The electoral commission has recently ruled that they advise against the changing of the voting age but they recommend that the age that a person can stand to be a candidate in an election should be lowered to 18. To find out more click here

However the majority of young people in Poole who we consulted with did not support the lowering of the voting age. We will be posting the results of our consultation on this page soon.

'Every Child Matters'

A Government Green Paper, directly impacting on young people and the way they are worked with in the future, was produced in September..What were the opinions of young people in Poole?

The results of our 'Every Child Matters' consultation will soon be available on our website.

National Minimum Wage for 16/17 yr olds

Although over 18s have the security of a national minimum wage those under 18 do not..the Peer Listeners consulted with young people in Poole about their views on this and how it would affect them

Currently the National Youth Parliament support the implementation of a National Minimum Wage for under 18s. You can view their manifesto for 2004 on their website www.ukyp.org.uk

The Government has agreed to implement a National Minimum Wage for 16/17 year olds from Autumn 2004, view details of this change here on the European Industrial Relations Observatory On-line.