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 dealing with issues such as housing, sexual health and good relations.
All our members are aged between 13 and 18 (21 if they are disabled or have just left care) and serve for two years.
Current forum members will serve until June 2010. They come from a range of areas, religions, backgrounds and cultures and represent areas across Belfast.
Role of the Youth Forum
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 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 and the Northern Ireland Youth Forum executive committee.
Achievements
The Youth Forum has achieved a number of successes to date. These include:- helping to develop a new urban sports park for Belfast
- working with other local, national and international youth councils
- organising our annual Young People's Awards scheme
- completing more than 4,000 hours of volunteer work since October 2008
- 15 members have received their Millennium Youth Bronze Volunteer Awards thanks to their work with the forum
- participating in the Terry Enright Foundation Mourne Challenge in August 2009.
