MonLife Youth Service held its annual youth conference at County Hall, Usk, on Wednesday, 10th July.
The conference brought together 40 students from secondary schools across Monmouthshire, including King Henry VIII 3-19 School, Monmouth Comprehensive School, and Chepstow Comprehensive School. The activities and discussions were arranged around the results of this year’s Make Your Mark ballot.
The Make Your Mark ballot allowed young people across Monmouthshire to give feedback on issues they felt impacted their lives. Young people were provided with ten topics decided by feedback from young people across Monmouthshire.
This year, 2,112 young people aged 11-18 participated in the ballot, providing valuable insights into their top priorities. The results showed that the top three priorities are the cost of living (29%), mental health (15%), and transport (13%).
During the conference, participants had the opportunity to discuss these priorities with professionals from Mind Our Futures Gwent, mental health services, MCC’s Active Travel team, and MCC’s lead for tackling poverty. Throughout the day, they discussed with experts in each field and shared feedback on how the Youth Service and the council could support improvements in these areas for young people in Monmouthshire.
Attending the conference, Monmouthshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Educations, Cllr Martyn Groucutt, said: “Seeing the young people engage with officers from across the council and partners provided our officers with great understanding on the top three topics from the Make Your Mark ballot. Taking park allowed me to get a better understanding of these issues. Thank you to the participants for their engagement. It was a fantastic day.
I look forward to seeing the continued work our Youth Service officers will do with the young people attending the conference and across the county.”
