Although the Isle of Wight Youth Council’s term came to a close on Tuesday, March 5, their work has hardly haltered.

From the ‘Youth Alliance’ to the ‘Councillor Gathering’, the IW Youth Council has been busier than ever. 

Chair, Benson Hardy, invited a range of the Island’s councillors to the group’s monthly meeting. They received the opportunity to query them based on their actions for young people concerning various matters. 

The topics discussed included transport, children’s services, education, environmentalism, biospheres and championing the voice of young people. 

They were pleasantly surprised by the outcome, as a large number of councillors were preoccupied with the Planning Meeting that evening. Clearly, the representatives were eager to improve the well-being of adolescents across the Island and consider youth voices. The IW Youth Council hopes to continue working alongside these local authorities to enact noticeable change. 

More recently, the Youth Alliance on Saturday, March 17, arranged by the Isle of Wight Council and the Youth Trust, focused on employment opportunities, mental health services, environment, transport, diversity and opportunities for young people. 

After rigorous discussion, the eclectic selection of youth groups (including the NHS Youth Forum, UKSA, the Youth Trust Taskforce, SWAY) formulated questions to present to a panel consisting of Bob Seely, Councillor Jonathan Bacon, Mark Hannan and Ian Boyd.

Both groups found it was a huge success as the recently elected chair of the Youth Trust Taskforce, Charlotte Andrews, expressed: “It was an incredible way of building connections between youth groups. It was great to see young people talk so passionately about issues. Youth voice is something that should be strongly encouraged, I hope to keep this growing as their new chairman.”

Benson shared: “The Youth Trust Taskforce were encouraged by Bob Seely to identify the six key challenges that face the Island’s young people, and we have achieved this. The information will encourage organisations to consider us when they make decisions which affect our lives.”