Waterford Comhairle na nÓg (City and County wide)

Description

Comhairle na nÓg are local youth councils for children and young people, aged 12-17, that give them a voice on the development of local policies and services. They are recognised key national structures for participation by children and young people in local decision making in all 31 local authorities of the country. Comhairle na nÓg provides a forum for young people to identify and work on issues of importance to them, before working with key local decision-makers, in a bid to achieve their desired outcome, impact or change.

The Waterford Comhairle is made up of 35 young people from Youth Groups and Schools across the entire city and county, with 10 spaces reserved for young people from ‘seldom heard’ communities.

Waterford Comhairle has two main purposes:

1. It represents the voice of young people on many representative bodies in Waterford, including the Children and Young People’s Services Committee (CYPSC), the ETB Youth Work committee, Purple Flag, and the Joint Policing Committee (JPC).

1. It enables young people to have an impact on a topic of their own choosing. Waterford Comhairle worked on a Project entitled ‘Homelessness in Waterford’ for 2018, and the 2019 Project is focusing on ‘Mental Health (linked with Substance Abuse)’