Arran represented at Youth Joint Cabinet
Arran High School representatives joined young people from across North Ayrshire to discuss issues affecting them at the Youth Joint Cabinet meeting at the Volunteer Rooms in Irvine.
The Youth Joint Cabinet meets twice a year and encourages young people to discuss issues with North Ayrshire Council’s cabinet, senior officers, members of the Scottish Youth Parliament and the Youth Council Executive.
A total of 110 young people, representing all of North Ayrshire’s secondary schools, took part in discussions with the main themes centring on climate change and sustainability, inequalities, health and wellbeing, United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, opportunities for young people and the cost of living.
Following the discussions, the young people from Arran High, Irvine Royal, Greenwood, St Matthews, Kilwinning, Largs, Auchenharvie, Ardrossan, Garnock Community Campus and Lockhart Campus schools were invited to put their questions to the policy makers and have them answered.
Mais Al Diri, member of the Scottish Youth Parliament for Cunninghame North, was a panel member at the event. Mais said: “North Ayrshire was the first and is one of only two local authorities in Scotland to host an annual Joint Cabinet meeting with young people.
“Joint Cabinet is a vital way for young people to express their views and get answers to the questions they want to ask. It shows our young people are some of the most engaged in the country as they spoke with passion and determination.”
Councillor Shaun Macaulay, cabinet member for education and young people, added: “As a child and youth centred council, it was fantastic to meet once again with young people in person to hear their views. The success of this week’s meeting is testament to just how important these joint meetings are.
“Young people are at the heart of the council’s decision-making and we care deeply about their point of view. We discussed a variety of issues and the young people challenged us on some of the decisions being made.
“This week’s meeting allowed secondary school pupils from across North Ayrshire to engage with us on a host of important issues and we enjoyed discussing these with them face-to-face. The meeting also gave us a clear demonstration of why involving our young people in council business is so important. I continue to be so inspired by how driven, switched-on and influential our young people are when it comes to contributing to local decision-making. Everyone who spoke up should be really proud of themselves.
“It can be daunting standing up for what you believe in, but our young people showed strength and courage as they made their voices heard while amplifying the issues of most concern to their peers across North Ayrshire.”
Feedback from the meeting will be used to form a Youth Joint Cabinet action plan which the council will use to action some of the issues raised.
Further information about youth groups and how you can get involved can be found on the council’s website at www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/ leisure-parks-and-events/ youth-groups.aspx