This week the Minister for Youth, the Hon Steven Linares, reached out to some of the young people in our community by holding a meeting with the “Voice of Young People (VYP)” and other representatives from local youth clubs involved in various ongoing projects.

The meeting organised and chaired by the VYP gave the young people present an opportunity to have an open dialogue with the Minister, where they discussed the challenges they are facing today as well as fresh ideas they would like to embark upon.

Minister Linares was very responsive about the concerns raised which included topics such as disability, accessibility to wheelchair users as well as LGBTQ+ issues and gender-neutral toilets.

During a Question and Answer session, a member of the VYP raised concerns about the challenges faced by young people leaving school and seeking employment. As a result, the VYP will be making representations with the Employment & Training Board to seek clarity on where young people can be signposted after leaving school.

The meeting was a success with a joint commitment from all to identify solutions that will work in the short and long term. All the young people felt empowered by having their voices heard and have a greater awareness of the challenges faced by everyone in the community during this pandemic including the government.

Should you have an issue or concern and would like your voice to be heard please go along to the drop in sessions on a Wednesday evening from 4 – 5.30pm at the Youth Centre. Likewise the group welcome young people between the ages of 13 – 25 to join them on their journey, there is no criteria other than having an interest in improving and developing services which meet the needs of for all young people in our community.