First in-person Youth Council held since start of pandemic

Young people came together for the first annual Youth Council to be hosted by Three Rivers District Council since the start of the pandemic.

Sixteen schools took part with pupils attending the event held in the council chamber at Three Rivers House, both in person and virtually via Zoom.

The theme of this year’s meeting was ‘School Curriculum and Concurrency’ and the children heard presentations from several speakers. Cllr Jon Tankard, the council’s Youth Champion, explained the democratic process. Cllr Stephen Cox discussed his role as a local councillor, and officers outlined the significance of the climate strategy and how schools can contribute to the Queen’s Green Canopy scheme.

Cllr Tankard said: “It was heartening to see first-hand how interested the children were in the democratic process, how members are elected and how keen the children were to get involved in their local area.”

Duncan Roberts, Headteacher of Little Green School, and the Youth Council school lead, added: “The day was a great success. The children really embraced the need to work together to impact change. They will now go back to their schools and vote on a project they want to develop.

“It could be that they explore the concerns around climate change and its impact on animals or how they could help wildlife within their own school grounds. We hope that we find some concurrency and can develop some actions and initiatives together as a community of schools. The children certainly have a lot to explore and impact before they return next year to celebrate their projects.”

The schools taking part were Yorke Mead, Arnett Hills, Eastbury Farm, Little Green, Malvern Way, St Mary’s, Sarratt, Christ Church, Chorleywood, St John’s, St Peter’s, Russell, Shepherds, Maple Cross, Harvey Road and Ricky Park.