REPRESENTATIVES from the local and county councils, police, transport, health, leisure and education met at Nelson Town Hall last night for the launch of the Pendle District Youth Council.
A working group of youngsters, who organised the event, and other young people from Pendle, raised concerns about the various services in the borough during workshop sessions and reported back their findings in a presentation at the end of the evening.
They put their questions to a panel of visitors, including the leader of Lancashire County Council Hazel Harding, the leader and chief executive of Pendle Borough Council, Councillor Azhar Ali and Stephen Barnes, county councillors, representatives from the youth and community services, Nelson and Colne College and East Lancashire Careers Service, Chief Superintendent John Knowles and Nelson Inspector Paul Robinson, and Phil Storey from Pendle Leisure Trust.
The working group met two months ago to organise the setting up of the youth council and many of the youngsters will put their names forward for the February 2002 elections which will be held for the County Youth Council and United Kingdom Youth Parliament.
These three bodies will be influential in shaping thinking about policy and practice of services and industry locally and nationally, particularly where they affect young people.
A wide range of questions were put to the representatives by the youngsters at the meeting. They included: 'Why are there not a lot of Asian police officers?', 'Why are there regular syllabus changes and confusion over grade boundaries in the AS Levels?', 'Why is there nothing for under-18s to do once it gets to the weekend?, 'What are Pendle's view on asylum seekers?' and 'Why is there a lack of NHS dentists in Pendle?'.
The various representatives gave the young people feedback and said they would take away their questions and ideas and try to do something to help.
County Coun Hazel Harding said: "I am very encouraged by the enthusiasm of the young people who have already been involved in the UK youth parliament and have no doubt that Pendle's Youth Council will be very successful.
"Preparation has been going on for 18 months led by staff from Lancashire's Youth and Community Service and Pendle Borough Council. This has been an opportunity to bring together a vibrant and influential group of young people who have already taken control of the way the Youth Council will be run.
"Groundwork for the District Youth Council has drawn young people into local democracy, active citizenship, community involvement and volunteering."
Coun Ali added: "All the young people involved will gain valuable insights into the working of democracy. Some will go on to become leading members of our community. It is important that we listen to them and address their concerns because in the same way as our decisions affect their lives today, decisions their generation take will affect our lives in the future."
Neil Waddington, 18, a member of the working group, said the meeting was very worthwhile. "I think young people who came did so with a will to do well. The various services are trying to deal with our concerns. They are looking at our points of view and taking them forward. They now realise that even though we are teenagers, we have positive views."
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