Youth Forum in North Ayrshire empowers young people to share ideas and influence local decisions.
The forum let them connect and share ideas. They even got to influence local decisions there. This event aids North Ayrshire’s youth plan. It covered participation and citizenship.
They had workshops that day, too! They discussed money and mental health issues. Change Mental Health and Mental Health UK led things. There was also an LGBT Youth Scotland session. It marked LGBT History Month.
North Ayrshire Youth Services ran the forum. Their youth work apprentices assisted too. Lunch was served, plus they had chats and learning. Loads of youth groups sent folks to that thing.
Kilwinning Youth Forum was there. North Ayrshire Active Schools also participated. North Coast Youth Forum joined in as well. Garnock Valley Youth Forum sent some members. Even the council’s Youth Executive showed up. Members of Scottish Youth Parliament attended.
Emma Burns spoke about the event. She is MSYP for Cunninghame South. They discussed things like a Pupil Council Toolkit. It helps pupils run effective student councils. This addresses issues young people face.
The forum helped them understand what’s needed locally. They want to help those voices get heard. The session helped decide future event themes. They are planning a joint cabinet meeting for Autumn 2025.
Pupils will gather with council leaders then. Knowledge from the session is shared with council leaders. This shapes supportive policies later on. They will use it to improve their strategies.