Youth Council

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Join ACYC

Who can join?

Criteria

Members need to

• be between 12 - 24 years of age
• live with-in the boundaries of Auckland City Council
• have some involvement with youth groups/organisations.

It is very important that ACYC members belong to other youth groups and organisations as one of the requirements of your membership is that you report regularly to these groups about what ACYC is up to and that you canvass these groups for their opinions when it is required.

Commitment

Members are required to

• attend formal Youth Council meetings on the third Monday of every month from 4.30pm to 6.30pm (most other meetings will be on Mondays at the same time), Level 15, Main Council Building (behind the Town Hall), 1 Greys Avenue, City
• attend training and project team meetings on Mondays at the same time at Youthtown, 68 Nelson Street, City. This could mean 3 - 4 Monday meetings every month.
• work on project teams between meetings
• be available to attend any other training/meetings that may occur
• feedback Youth Council information to their networks
• bring youth issues to the Youth Council
• assist Auckland City Council to canvas youth views.

In return for your commitment, Auckland City will provide you with

• training to fulfil your role as a Youth Councillor
• leadership training that will be useful for the other youth networks you belong to
• opportunities to attend conferences/seminars
• opportunities to be a youth representative on various working parties/project teams
• some assistance with transport from meetings
• training and exposure to the local government political system.

Joining

If you fit the criteria and

• are able to make the time commitment
• are interested in making a difference
• are interested in being part of a voice for young people in Auckland City

please feel free to email us for more information or come along to one of our youth council meetings.

At present, members are required to attend formal meetings every third Monday of the month 4.30pm - 6.30pm at the main council building. There are also project team meetings and trainings on almost every other Monday at Youthtown from 4.30pm - 6.30pm.

Members are required to provide a monthly written update for the agenda and complete any other tasks that come out of the meetings or projects.

We need young people who are already involved in other youth groups and organisations, so we can use their contacts to spread information and also to find out young peoples' views on different issues.

ACYC is a voice for young people, so we are interested in the opinions of all of Auckland city's young people. It is important that ACYC members consult other young people and represent their views. For example, if members are asked for their views on trees in parks, we would expect that they return to their groups and organisations and discuss this with their peers and represent their views in the next meeting.

Youth Council is very time consuming and requires commitment. Members get training, get to work on projects, and meet other young people. In the past members have spoken to community boards, the mayor and councillors, gave interviews on national television, and attended conferences in Rotorua, Wellington and Dunedin.

Please contact us if you would like to talk to an ACYC member.