Could you be the future of an Isle of Wight town council and tell them what you really want?
Ryde Town Council (RTC) is thinking about setting up a youth council to get teenagers and young people more engaged with the town.
Proposing the idea, Councillor Robert May said the voices of young people are missing from the town council which means there is no way to hear their views or what they want in the town.
It would also help young people better understand how local government works and offer mentoring.
Councillor May said:
“We need to think about how to engage with young people to invest in Ryde.
“We would have a much better understanding of the gaps, and what the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis have left them without.”
A working group will be set up to determine how a youth council may work, what it could be and who it could involve, like youth groups, the police and schools.
Councillors said it was another proactive initiative from the council, following the success of Network Ryde, the town council’s youth service.
The motion was unanimously supported.
Problem being the ‘type’ of youth who attends this will be likely a bit nerdy, and IF as I suspect the idea from the council is to ‘tackle’ youth violence, vandalism and anti social behaviour in the town, then the ‘nerdy youth’ will be just as out-of-touch as the naive but well intentioned Councillors
It is cringeworth when MP’s etc try to be cool and be ‘one of the lads’ and I fear a similar scene here.
Same as having youth clubs, those youth’s into s ex, drugs, alcohol, car / stealing and racing, sheer violence, porn, and other means of obtaining pleasure will never be ‘satisfied’ by a ping-pong table and a pint of Coke.
Waste of time except it may make the elderly ‘feel’ they are engaging with the real youth.
Best be dishing out booze and weed. Otherwise they will not attract the feral, tracksuit wearing chavs who are the majority.
no cash apparently and have to cut services I thought. How is this getting funded then.
Just surprised it is not Ventnor TC.