Whetstone Youth Council

MEMBERSHIP
Whetstone Youth Council, the first parish-based youth council in Leicestershire, was formed to represent the 500 or so teenagers living in the village, but currently we are under represented, and would welcome some support. We hope to increase membership to 20 youth councillors, so any young person aged 13 to 20 is invited to join us. Have your say on local youth issues.

MEETINGS
Meetings held on the second Sunday of every month are chaired by Megan who gives the group opportunities to voice their opinions and air their grievances. Anyone can turn up at meetings to have their say - or just see how the youth council operates.
The lack of teenage recreation amenities in Whetstone is high priority to the council, and they hope to raise more funds to address the situation. The skateramp facility is a huge success, and more recently football goalpost. The group work closely with the parish, district and other youth councils to develop youth related projects.

ARTICLE 12
Youth councils are comparatively new organizations, and until quite recently teenage opinions were never sought or taken seriously. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has changed all that. It gives young people, under 18’s, the right to express their opinions, and places a responsibility on the decision-makers to consult young people about the things that will affect them. Their opinions have to be taken seriously - it’s the law!
Local Youth councils are ideal groups of young people for local authorities to consult, and the Whetstone Parish Council have taken the initiative, along with the Blaby District Council by listening to our teenage representatives.

If you’re not registered to vote you can’t have a say.
But you can with the Youth Council. We want to hear from anyone under 21, registered or not. Tell us what you like or dislike about Whetstone. What changes would you like to see? If you don’t ask you won’t get. If you do ask, you still might not get, but at least we’ll try. It’s your community — help to shape it’s future.
You don’t even have to attend meetings to get involved. Send us an e-mail and we’ll keep you informed of what’s going on. We can e-mail agendas and minutes of our monthly meetings and advise you of forthcoming events like discos. If you don’t have e-mail write us a note, or ask your parents to buy you a P.C.
Click here to send email

Investing in youth
Within one year the Whetstone Youth Council, a small group of dedicated teenagers, achieved far more than we could ever have expected. They proved to the sceptics that given support and encouragement, young people can handle responsibility. With three lottery grants to their credit and a variety of projects benefiting the whole community, their enthusiasm knows no bounds.
They have published the results of a ‘Youth Needs Questionnaire’. This was targeted specifically at Whetstone’s young people to assess their needs and aspirations, and how they wish to see their village develop. The results gleaned from this study will set the Youth Council’s agenda for the future.
Currently, UK local authorities spend £1.2 billion on adult recreation, arts and leisure but only 4.9% of this on children's play — yet children make up 20% of the population. In fact the proportion of children in Whetstone is far higher than the national average — an estimated 1,800 under-18’s, almost 30%. Investment in play means healthier communities in the future.