Interested young people aged 10-14 are being called upon to be involved in a new Parish Youth Council which is being set up to encourage the active engagement of young people in the decision making within the village.
Members of the Youth Parish Council will represent the views and opinions of their generation and work alongside Alderley Edge Parish Council in making the village a better place.
Cllr Rachael Grantham explained "The Parish Youth Council is an opportunity for 12 inspirational youngsters to represent the views of their generation whilst working closely with the Parish Council and our Ward Councillor, Craig Browne to inspire and influence change for the better within our village."
Cllr Ilana Higham added "We are really keen to hear about what kinds of things young people would like to see happening in Alderley Edge, but we also want to encourage them to get involved in making decisions that directly affect them, as well as helping them to understand how the Parish Council works and relates to them."
Cllr Grantham continued "There are very few youth parish councils in existence in the north of England, but we have visited some of those that do and have been very encouraged by the enthusiasm shown by the young people and the interest they have shown in their communities. We would like to foster this same enthusiasm in Alderley Edge, for the benefit of the whole community."
Members must be residents within the village or be a pupil of one of the schools in the village. Their duties will include attending meetings once every 8 weeks and providing reports with advice and recommendations to the Parish Council on youth needs, issues and initiatives. They will also be required to assist with the formation of groups to support activities arranged by the Youth Parish Council, raise awareness of issues affecting young people and assist the Parish Council .
with projects, community engagement and presentations at open Parish Council meetings.
Anyone interested in joining the Alderley Edge Parish Youth Council is invited to go along to the Festival Hall with their parents or guardians on Monday 16th May between 5pm and 6pm to find out a bit more about becoming a Parish Youth Councillor.
Cllr Grantham added "We have researched various funding options for potential Youth Council projects and there are plenty available so all we need now is an enthusiastic, optimistic and inspirational group of children ready to make the first 'Alderley Edge Parish Youth Council'. We believe that this will appeal to individuals who want to play an active part in their community. Taking part will also add to their CVs."
Young people (and parents) interested in coming along are asked to email Cllr Rachael Grantham to confirm their attendance.
Click here to download the terms of reference providing more informaiton about the role of youth parish councillor.
Photo: Councillor Rachael Grantham.
Comments
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For the start of this project we felt it was important that we captured an age group of children who can work alongside each other. Children at the top end of primary school tend to be full of enthusiasm and confidence and the children at the bottom end of high school will still respect the views of those younger than them. If we were to have a wider age gap in the same group it would be naturally dominated by the older children. When this project is up and running we hope to establish groups of all ages to work alongside the Parish Youth Council to achieve the best for all the younger residents in the village.
If anyone has any further questions please email me at .
Many thanks,
Rachael