Waterford Comhairle na nÓg (City and County wide)

Description

Waterford Comhairle na nÓg is the local youth council for children and young people, aged 12-17, that gives them a voice on the development of local policies and services. They are recognised by 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. Our Comhairle works with young people from the whole county and encourages young people to become active citizens in their local communities.

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 WWETB Youth Work committee,
2. It enables young people to have an impact on a topic of their own choosing. Waterford Comhairle has worked on numerous projects. In 2023 they worked on Relationship and Sexual Education, In 2024 & 2025 they are working on Mental Health.