Oswestry Town Council, in partnership with the Shropshire Youth Association and Shropshire Council, are excited to begin regular face-to-face sessions with the young people of Oswestry and the wider area, via a new Youth Forum.
Sessions will take place half-termly and any children aged 11 up to their 18th birthday are welcome to attend. The first session will be held on Wednesday, the 26th of October from 2-4pm at The Centre, Oak Street, Oswestry – a safe and accessible space and free to attend.
The main purpose of the Forum is to involve young people in Council decision-making, so they can help shape youth provision of the future. The Forum will encourage input and involvement on specific topics, provide a £5000 budget to commission activities and raise the profile of youth issues in Oswestry.
The funding will enable the Forum to design and deliver activities that support young people. The Council recently received a suggestion to have table tennis facilities in the park and a redesign of the crazy golf. The Council would like the Forum to consider these suggestions.
The Forum will be supported by a member of staff at Oswestry Town Council and Shropshire Youth Association, along with key partners. Young people are encouraged to represent other key organisations across Oswestry.
Once the Forum is up and running, young people can raise discussion topics, be directly involved with key roles (e.g. chairing & note taking) and all decisions shall be determined by a majority Forum vote. The Town Council will also bring forward topics for the Forum to consider and will invite the group to be involved in the delivery of some key projects.
Oswestry Town Council Mayor, Councillor Jay Moore, adds “We hope the new Youth Forum will be a group of young people who want to make a difference locally, and who are confident in putting forward their views and ideas for Council consideration. The idea is to empower young people to have a strong voice in the town and link discussions back to their friends and peers. It’s also a great way for young people to gain experience for their CVs and to support applications for future work, college and university applications, by supporting discussion and the Forum’s development.”
Oswestry’s Youth Forum needs you! So how do young people get involved?
If you are a young person who would like to take part, or know any young people who would like to contribute, please contact Corrie Davies at corriedavies@oswestry-tc.gov.uk or Jess Williams at jess@sya.org.uk.
Young people will need to attend with a signed parental consent form on the day.
