HomeAbout the Youth Forum
Young people make up a third of the population of Belfast, making our city one of the youngest in Europe.
That's why we've set up a Youth Forum:
- to give young people a voice
- to allow you to have your say on things which affect you and your friends
- to give you a chance to get involved in decision-making within the council.
Who we are
The Youth Forum is made up of young people from across Belfast.There are 36 young people on the Forum, which has three sub-groups.
The groups deal with issues young people want to work on, such as teen pregnancy, drugs and alcohol and citizenship.
All our members are aged between 13 and 18 (21 if they are disabled or have just left care) and serve for two years.
Our job
Our members aim to represent their views and those of other young people in Belfast.They do this by:
- setting targets and action plans based on what they want to achieve
- examining issues, such as suicide awareness and proposals for a Northern Ireland Youth Assembly, through sub-groups
- attending residentials and organising trips and visits to sites around Belfast
- receiving training in a range of areas
- offering advice to councillors on how to solve issues affecting young people
- electing young people to sit on the UK Youth Parliament, the Northern Ireland Youth Forum executive committee and the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) executive committee.
Our achievements
The Youth Forum has achieved a number of successes to date.These include:
- helping to develop a new skate park for Belfast
- working with other local, national and international youth councils
- organising Young People's Awards scheme
- working with council officers, including leisure centre staff and our Travellers' liaison officer, to examine facilities for young people
- producing a DVD which highlights the dangers of alcohol.
