Comhairle na nÓg Dhún na nGall/ Donegal Youth Council are breaking new ground by introducing the new Electoral Area Boundaries 8 months before their adult colleagues. The boundary changes are to be introduced at the Local Elections in June 2009, reducing Electoral Areas in Donegal from 6 to 5. However, given that the Youth Council reflects the Adult Council, and the challenge a change of boundary would have on the Youth Council 8 months into their 2 year term of office, the Donegal Youth Council Elections will be the first to be implemented under the new plans in October.
The Comhairle na nÓg Dhún na nGall/ Donegal Youth Council was set up in 2002 to give young people a voice in local decision making and to educate young people in democracy and voting. Over 6 years and 3 Youth Councils, they have been involved in a range of activities from town planning to sailing ships, lobbying for cervical cancer vaccinations to Youth Surveys. To ensure young people have a voice in issues that affect them, they work with a range of adult groups and service providers, like Donegal Road Safety Working Group Donegal Sports Partnership, North West Alcohol Forum, Finn Valley Alliance for Positive Mental Health. 12,000 Young people aged 12-18 vote for their youth councillor in the same way as adults vote for their county councillor, and next week 48 youth candidates will stand for elections across the 5 Electoral Areas. All 27 secondary schools, including 2 Island schools and the 6 Youthreach Centres will act as polling stations.
Mayor Gerry Crawford supported the Youth Council in the upcoming elections and applauded their strategic approach. “Often young people are accused of being uninterested about politics or their own community. The Youth Council continually shows that young people are not only have an interested, but are keen to work to improve the lives of the young people they represent. We have ensured that the Youth Council has the an effective structure to report to us over the next two years and that we hear the concerns, plans and activities of our young colleagues”. The Youth Council will continue to report to each of the 6 Electoral Areas until the Adult Council is revised after next year’s local elections.
Aisling Bonner, outgoing Chair of the Youth Council, recalls the excitement of the Elections in 2006. “It was something very different, canvassing other students for votes. The counts were really interesting, very professional. When I was elected, I was delighted. I wasn’t completely sure what I’d gotten into but I’ve loved every minute of it”.
Youth Council Elections take place from the 20th to the 24th of October.
For more information, contact Kellie Gallagher, Donegal Youth Council 087 9192272