Mayor Brian Tierney
The application process is open to young people aged 13-17 living in the North of Ireland and will see 90 Youth Assembly members selected to share their views and directly influence decisions taken by the Assembly.
Mayor Tierney said: “This is a really fantastic and exciting opportunity for young people across our district to have a platform to share their views on what’s important to them and what changes they would like to see.
“Applications are welcome from anyone – you don’t have to have any experience but simply just a passion and a commitment to be the voice for thousands of young people in our district and beyond.
“In my time as Mayor so far, I have had the privilege of working with and speaking to a lot of young people within our district and I have always been struck by their driven nature and their desire to achieve better for themselves and for this area.
“These young people are our future.
“They are the ones who will effect real change in the years ahead and this is a unique opportunity for them to make some of those changes now and to communicate directly with the Northern Ireland Assembly about what they want to see.
“I would encourage any young person in our district who has an interest in taking part to get online and apply for the NI Youth Assembly.
“Your voice is incredibly important so make sure it is heard loud and clear.”
Claire Lynch, Children and Young Peoples Co-ordinator with Derry City and Strabane District Council, added: “The introduction of a first Northern Ireland Youth Assembly really highlights how deeply valued and important the views of young people are.
“Through local projects like Youth19 the North West Ministry of Youth and YOUth Making It Happen we have seen so many times that young people have the power to speak up and make positive change happen in their area and further afield.
“We are very lucky in our district to have a younger generation full of great ideas and a passion to challenge the norm and push all of us to think outside the box.
“I would love to see as many young people as possible enter this application process to potentially be part of a great new platform.”
For more information, email [email protected]
Applications are open until Friday 21st May.
Find out more and apply at: www.niyouthassembly.org
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