Members of Caerphilly Youth Forum from across the county borough gathered at Penallta House for their summer meeting on Thursday 17th July.
Caerphilly Youth Forum is made up of young people aged 11 – 25 who each represent a school, college or community group. The forum meets on a regular basis and allows young people to express their opinions on the matters that are important to them.
Forum members gathered to discuss their priority issue of how alcohol, drugs and legal highs are too readily available to young people. There were guest speakers from the National Youth Advocacy Service, who explained the services they offer to young people across the UK, as well as representatives from the Welsh Government who provided an update on consultation for plans for Additional Learning Needs.
The meeting was followed by a BBQ and fundraising activities for the 2014 charity Velindre Cancer Centre, for which members have already raised an over £1,000. Some members also attended the meeting in fancy dress to raise even more money!
Cllr Mike Prew, Youth Champion for Caerphilly county borough said: “The members of the Youth Forum work tirelessly to ensure the views of young people are represented professionally and fairly. They take part in discussions about hard-hitting issues and are able to communicate opinions of young people across the borough to members of the council to make Caerphilly a better place for us all to live in. I would like to congratulate them on their brilliant fundraising efforts; their ongoing charity work is testament to the dedication and determination in raising funds for such an important charity.”
