Raising young people’s voices with a youth democracy event

National democracy week in Redbridge, unlike in many places, ensures children and young people are brought into the conversation, so they can express their views, andbe listened to at the highest level of local democracy in the borough.

Democratic services staff met with the Youth Council to identify issues they felt were important to young people in the borough. Youth Council members highlighted poverty and climate change as some of their highest priority issues.

Using this feedback, staff visited secondary schools to workshop the issues with local young people. A menstrual cup scheme was investigated following this, to help alleviate period poverty, and plans were drawn up to help reduce the use of single-use plastics in the borough.

Young people were subsequently given the opportunity to speak at an extraordinary full Council meeting, attended by Councillors, cabinet members and MPs.

They presented their ideas and proposed solutions to the issues that they felt strongly about in Redbridge.