Hastings District Youth Council – Terms of Reference 2019
The purpose of
the Hastings District Youth Council (Youth Council)
The Hastings
District Council recognises the positive contribution young people make to a
strong, diverse, resilient and inclusive community. The Hastings District Youth
Council is a vehicle in which young people can be actively engaged in local
government planning and decision making relating to their city.
The Youth Council
is responsible for creating dynamic engagement opportunities for young people
to participate in, be heard and be involved in community activities and
government decisions.
The Youth
Council’s objective is to canvas youth opinions on a range of topics, to
then advocate and implement changes on behalf of the young people in Hastings.
Membership
The Youth Council
is made up of 15 young people who live, work, and/or attend school in the
Hastings District. Members can be aged between 15 and 21 years of age.
Youth Council
membership is for a period of one year running from February to December.
Applications can be made to the Youth Development Coordinator to continue as a
Youth Council member for consecutive years.
Recruitment and
Selection of Youth Council Members
Recruitment for
Youth Council members runs January- February each year through local high
schools, youth services and community groups, the Hastings District Council
website and various social media accounts.
All applications
must be submitted via the Hastings District Council’s website. A shortlist
of candidates is created, with those applicants asked to attend a 10 minute
interview. The selection panel is made up of HDC Youth Development Staff, a
Councillor, and a young person under the age of 25.
Commitments of
Youth Council members
Youth Council
members are required to
-
Attend a Youth
Council Training and Planning event, held at the beginning of the year. (After
the Council members have been selected)
-
Elect members to
take on leadership positions such as (but not limited to) the Chair and Deputy
Chairperson of the Youth Council for that year.
-
Contribute to the
Youth Council Annual Plan – that details the focus of the group and their
activities for the year.
-
Attend all
official Youth Council meetings – held the first Wednesday of the month
at Hastings District Council’s main offices.
-
Submit formal
reports detailing their actions as a Youth Council member each month at the
official Youth Council meetings.
-
Attend informal
meetings throughout the year to work on upcoming projects – Members will
be given no less than 2 weeks’ notice of informal meetings.
-
Attend Hastings
District Council meetings for presentations as and when required –
Members will be given no less than 4 weeks’ notice of these
presentations.
-
Attend and
support all youth, community and Council events determined in the Annual Plan
and by the Youth Council as a whole.
Meetings:
Official Youth
Council meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month at the Hastings
District Council, from 3.45 to 5.30pm.
Meetings will
continue as scheduled if they fall in the school holidays. It is expected that
members will attend these meetings unless they tender their apologies.
Informal meetings
will be scheduled when required, depending on work load and upcoming projects.
The Youth
Development Coordinator and a Hastings Councillor (Malcolm Dixon), will attend
all official Youth Council meetings.
Youth Council
Roles and Responsibilities
Chairperson:
-
The Chairperson
chairs each meeting and ensures everyone contributes to the discussion and that
the views of young people from the whole District are considered when decisions
need to be made.
-
Keeps meetings,
projects, planning and submission processes on track.
-
Delegate’s
responsibilities to members, follows up and ensure the work gets done.
-
Acts as the
contact person for the Youth Council for the public, the media, and Council.
-
Represents the
Youth Council at public forums as required.
-
Works with
elected Youth Council members to manage the official Youth Council social media
accounts.
-
Takes action if
members repeatedly do not attend meetings or deliver on actions they say they
will undertake.
Deputy
Chairperson:
-
Works closely
with, and provides support to the Chairperson.
-
Will take over
the Chair’s responsibilities for running the meetings as required.
-
Will represent
the Youth Council at public forums as required.
-
Works with
elected Youth Council members to manage the official Youth Council social media
accounts.
Social Media
Team Responsibilities:
-
Works closely
with each other, the Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson to actively drive
traffic to the official Hastings Youth Council social media accounts.
-
All posts are to
be deemed appropriate under the official Youth Council Social Media Guidelines.
-
To answer all
comments and questions made on social media accounts in a timely and
appropriate manner.
-
To report
anything of a concerning nature to the Youth Development Coordinator
immediately.
-
To promote the
Youth Council activities, and activities/events and campaigns endorsed by Youth
Council.
-
Submit a monthly
report detailing engagement
Youth Council
members’ Responsibilities:
-
Attend meetings
appropriately prepared, including submitting their official monthly report of
engagements and activities as a Youth Council member.
-
Actively consult
with your schools, community groups, and young people to find out what they
need, want or are concerned about and bring this information to the Youth
Council meetings.
-
Support and
promote Youth Council activities, events and campaigns and those endorsed by
Youth Council.
-
Participate in
training opportunities as they arise.
-
To take up
leadership and teamwork opportunities to ensure Youth Council activities,
events and campaigns are delivered successfully and to determined deadlines.
Meeting
Process:
Formal meetings
are used for:
-
Planning and
scheduling Youth Council projects
-
Discussing issues
that are affecting young people in the Hastings Community
-
Presentations and
consultancy from external parties
-
Decision making
about Youth Council participation and endorsement of community activities
-
Decision making
about Youth Council events or projects.
Decision
making:
Decision making
will follow Council’s basic Standard Order process
-
Someone will need
to move (propose) a decision;
-
Someone will
second the proposal, then;
-
All members will
vote on the decision. If the Majority of members agree with the decision it is
then carried (confirmed) and recorded.
-
If members cannot
agree on a decision, the Chairperson OR Council representative will have the
say.
Quorum:
A minimum of half
of the Youth Council members must attend the meeting for it to proceed, 8
people make a quorum.
Agendas and
minutes
A final agenda
(approved by the chairperson) is to be sent out to all members and Council
representatives at least two working days prior to the meeting
Official agendas
and minutes will be produced by the Hastings Council’s Democratic support
team. Agendas and any attachments will be emailed to members a week before
meetings. Minutes will be emailed to members no more than a week after official
meetings.
Apologies:
If a member is
unable to attend an official Youth Council meeting they must tender their
apologies to the Chairperson or the Youth Development Coordinator no later than
a week before the meeting.
It is expected the
member will still submit their monthly report, detailing their activities
related to Youth Council.
Missing more than
2 official meetings in a row without tendering apologies will result in the
member forfeiting their place on the Youth Council.
