Members of the Youth Council will present the revised Youth Council Constitution and inform the Committee about their current work.

The Committee received a report providing an overview on how the Youth Council was operated and the various roles and responsibilities of different positions within the Youth Council. A copy of the refreshed Reading Youth Council Constitution was appended to the report. The reviewed constitution clarified the roles, responsibilities, and associated procedures of Reading Youth Council.

The report explained that it had been a successful year for the Reading Youth Council.  Following the pandemic young people had been able to engage more actively with the Youth Council, and its members had engaged more actively and directly in their roles.

Members of the Youth Council were present at the meeting and the Chair, Deputy Chair and Deputy Member of the Youth Parliament for Reading addressed the Committee.  They provided a summary of achievements for the past year and future work to be carried out.  The past achievements included:

• Attending the British Youth Council’s annual meeting at the House of Commons
• Attending and supporting the Youth Climate Festival
• Collaboration with Reading Borough Council on apprenticeships, work experience and mentoring programs
• Involved in the selection of the Reading Borough Council Chief Executive
• Outreach work with schools
• Organisation of the Reading Youth Council Conference for 2023
• Attending the Reading Young People’s Hub
• Work with the Reading Düsseldorf Association
• Hosting self-defence classes with Youth Council Members

The Deputy Member of the Youth Parliament for Reading explained that the Youth Council worked cohesively as a team and debated, discussed, and created actions to tackle issues effecting the youth of Reading.  Campaigns being undertaken were the environment campaign which included work with Cubs and Beavers to educate them about the environment.  A jobs, money, home, and opportunities campaign would include a careers fair for young people, and a social media campaign to raise awareness and profile of the Youth Council. 

The Deputy Chair of the Youth Council provided information on a new outreach programme to schools. A school ambassador programme was being undertaken to work with students at schools to help promote the Youth Council initiatives in schools.  Also, regular outreach events were taking place with schools and the wider community where the Youth Council had little or no presence.  The Youth Council were also using gap analysis to identify schools with no youth council presence to help create a more influential group in Reading.

The Committee were informed that all 23 members of the Youth Council had been elected to their positions and their main role was to take part in planning and delivering services to young people as stated in their Constitution. 

The Committee thanked the Youth Council members for their presentation.

Resolved –

(1)          That the work of the Reading Youth Council in 2022/23 be noted;

(2)          That the Reading Youth Council priorities for 2023/24 be endorsed;

(3)          That the revised Youth Council Constitution be agreed.