Hastings District Youth Council – Terms of Reference 2019
Fields of
Activity
The Hastings
District Youth Council is established to be advocating and implementing the
voice of youth for the Hastings District.
Membership
Chairman
Deputy Chairperson
1 Councillor
appointed by the Council
Maximum of 15
young people between the ages of 15-21 who live, work or attend school in the
Hastings District.
Quorum – 8 members Majority rules, but in the event of a tie, the
Chairperson has the casting vote.
Meeting
Frequency
Monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of each month from 3:45 –
5.30pm throughout the year, with weekly or fortnightly informal meetings
scheduled when required.
Meeting
Protocols
There is no
texting or using of cell phones during meetings. All phones must be on silent.
A Chairperson and
Deputy will be elected at the Youth Council Training Days by the group.
Members are not
allowed to speak out of order or over the meeting Chairperson.
All members should
treat each with respect and use appropriate language.
Issues Raised
Issues raised at
Hastings Youth Council meetings can be brought to Council through the Youth
Co-ordinator.
Reporting
Requirements
Minutes will be
distributed within 7 days of the Hastings District Youth Council meeting.
General
Procedures
Apologies go to
the Youth Co-ordinator, the Chair or the Deputy Chair.
Missing more than
2 meetings without notice will mean forfeiting your place on the Youth Council.
Delegated
Powers
To make
recommendations to the Council on issues affecting youth in the Hastings
District.
REPORT TO: Hastings
District Youth Council
MEETING DATE: Wednesday 3
April 2019
FROM: Youth Development Co-ordinator
Angela
Hughes
SUBJECT: Confirmation
of membership of the Hastings District Youth Council 2019 and update of
activities January - March 2019
1.0 SUMMARY
1.1 This
report sets out the membership of the Hastings District Youth Council (the
Youth Council) for 2019 and the background to the selection process.
1.2 This
report concludes by recommending the Youth Council confirm the appointment of
members as Chair and Deputy Chair and endorses its Terms of Reference and its
Draft Annual Plan (which will be circulated at the meeting).
2.0 BACKGROUND
2.1 Positions
for the Youth Council are advertised annually in February/March through local
high schools, community groups, the internet and at Hastings District Council
(Council) facilities.
2.2 Applications
are made online through the Council’s website. The applications are
reviewed by a panel made up of Council Youth Development staff and the
Councillor appointed as liaison to the Youth Council.
2.3 The
2019 recruitment process included two significant changes. The age of
eligibility was increased from 15-21 years old. The membership age range
was previously 15-19 years old.
2.4 The
second change involved selecting a shortlist of applicants who were then
required to attend a 10 minute interview with the selection panel at Hastings
District Council. 17 interviews were held over two days and this resulted
in 11 candidates being chosen to join the 2019 Youth Council.
2.5 Four
members from the 2018 Youth Council chose to continue into 2019, which created
the total of 15 members for the 2019 Youth Council.
2.6 Successful
applicants were required to attend a two day training and planning retreat held
in March. During this time, the group elected members to leadership roles
including the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson. The group also worked
together to determine the Youth Council’s priorities for the year and
develop their Annual Plan of activities, campaigns and events.
3.0 CURRENT
SITUATION
3.1 The
2019 Hastings Youth Council is made up of 15 young people aged between 15-17
years old who live, work or attend school in the Hastings District.
Elected
leadership positions
3.2 The
2019 leadership team has been elected and these positions will be formally
confirmed at the first meeting on 3 April 2019:
- Kate
Allen - Chairperson
- Charliot
Miller - Deputy Chairperson
- Sophie
Jones and James McPhail - Social Media Engagement Team.
- Other
leadership positions will be elected throughout the year as they are required.
Terms of
Reference amendments
3.3 This
Youth Council will be operating slightly different than past groups and as a
result amendments to the 2018 Terms of Reference are proposed. A draft Terms of
Reference document has been created to accurately reflect the 2019 Youth
Council’s roles and responsibilities. (Attachment 1).
3.4 Youth
Council members will be required to submit formal reports to each meeting
detailing their Youth Council related activities over the month, since the
previous meeting. A template is being set up for this purpose and an example
will be circulated at the 3 April meeting so the content can be discussed.
3.5 The
process regarding the submission of the monthly activity reports is outlined in
the draft Terms of Reference.
2019 Youth
Council Annual Plan
3.6 The
Youth Council have created a draft 2019 Annual Plan to work to, which details
the Youth Council’s activities and commitments for the year. This
draft document will be circulated at the meeting.
3.7 The
group has chosen to focus their attention on creating a diverse range of
campaigns, activities and events for young people to engage with community and
Council.
3.8 It
is hoped that through these activities the Youth Council will be able to
address issues of importance such as:
- mental
health and wellbeing
- diversity
and inclusion, and
- environmental
suitability
Brain
Dump – Pop up Youth Engagement
3.9 The
Youth Council hosted two “Brain Dump” youth engagement sessions in
the Hastings CBD, Wednesday, 20 March and Thursday 21 March 2019.
3.10 These
sessions allowed young people to engage with the Youth Council to
express their concerns, priorities and their ideas for projects and events to
improve Hastings for young people.
3.11 The
Brain Dump resulted in over 150 young people engaging with Youth Council
members and contributing 375 opinions and ideas. This information will help
support further engagement opportunities and Youth Council activities.
3.12 A
formal evaluation process of the Brain Dump, including collating and discussing
all the data collected, will be undertaken at the first Youth Council meeting
on 3 April.
Social
Media plan for 2019
3.13 The
following Youth Council members have been given permissions to act as
“administrators” for the Hastings District Council Facebook Page:
- Kate
Allen
- Charliot
Miller
- James
McPhail
- Sophie
Jones
3.14 Throughout
March 2019, the Youth Council uploaded several posts announcing its 2019
members and promoting the Brain Dump pop up youth engagement sessions in the
Hastings CBD.
3.15 This
has resulted in an increase of 300+ likes on Facebook page, over 3600
engagements with the page, and over 4165 people “reached”.
3.16 That
is a significant increase in traffic through the Youth Council’s Facebook
page.
3.17 The
Youth Council is currently investigating setting up Hastings Youth Council
Instagram and Snapchat accounts for further promotion of activities and
events. The Youth Development Co-ordinator, Angela Hughes, is working
with the Council’s Communications team to compile some appropriate
guidelines before these accounts are created.
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4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS AND
REASONS
A) That
the report of the Youth Development Co-ordinator titled “Confirmation
of membership of the Hastings District Youth Council 2019 and update of
activities January - March 2019” dated 3/04/2019
be received.
B) That the Hastings District Youth Council confirms the Chair,
Deputy, and other leadership positions elected during the 2019 training
sessions.
C) That
the Hastings District Youth Council confirms
the draft Terms of Reference for 2019.
D) That the Hastings District Youth Council confirms its draft Annual
Plan 2019, including the activities outlined and the commitments of Youth
Council members to undertake those activities.
E) That
the Hastings District Youth Council carry out
an evaluation of the Brain Dump Popup Youth Engagement sessions that had been
undertaken in March 2019.
F) That the Hastings District Youth Council confirm a Youth Week
program.
G) That the Hastings District Youth Council work with the Hastings
District Council’s communications team to redesign the Youth Council
logo for use on its agendas, minutes and the like.
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Attachments:
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1
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Draft Terms of Reference for the Hastings District
Youth Council 2019 (addressed at 3/4/19 meeting)
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CG-14-33-00074
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