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Bexley Youth Council

Welcome to the Bexley Youth Council web pages. This is your number one stop to find out what is happening in Bexley for young people.

Current Chair Joe McLynn and Deputy Chair Charlotte Lock of The Bexley Youth Council

What is Bexley Youth Council?

Bexley Youth Council (BYC) is a voluntary organisation made up of young people for young people. From consultations with young people and the Council, we give young people of Bexley a voice. We aim to:

  • Promote equal opportunities and diversity throughout the community
  • Design services and make sure they meet the needs of the young community
  • Combat discrimination.
  • Provide training and guidance to members and relay this into helping the community

There are many issues that the Youth Council are aware of that are currently active, Youth dispersal orders, race crime, gangs and lack of places to go. The Youth Council are currently tackling these issues and details of what has been achieved will appear on the achievements page.

The Youth Council currently has around 20 members and the numbers are rising. There are key members of the Youth Council. They are the Treasurer who controls the money, the secretary who reports the meetings etc, and the chair who is the head of the youth council. Profiles of these key members are accessible via the links on the Youth council members section.

The youth council meet once a month, and sub groups that focus on certain projects meet approximately once a month also. If you would like more details about Youth Council meetings or the subgroup issues don't hesitate to contact us.

What other youth organisations are BYC involved with?

Connexions youth board

Connexions youth board is made up of young people aged 13-19 from the east London region. Youth board members are involved in their local area through local youth forums, school councils or youth parliaments, to name a few. They help to make decisions within the organisation and represent the views of local young people.

Any young person who wishes to be involved with Connexions can apply to be a member. If you'd like to join the youth board, contact your nearest Connexions and they will set the ball rolling, or contact the youth council and speak to a representative.

UK Youth Parliament

The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) aims to give the young people of the UK, between the age of 11 and 18, a voice that will be heard and listened to by local and national government, providers of services for young people and other agencies who have an interest in the views and needs of young people.

UKYP has national support and recently held their national debate to decide which campaigns the UKYP would focus on over the next year, at the House of Lords. This was the first time this has ever been done and proved to be a great success with over 300 young people attending and participating.

The UKYP has a rolling programme and meets on an annual basis. It was launched at the House of Commons in July 1999 and held the first sitting in February 2001 in London. The 2008 Annual Sitting will take place at Exeter University, Devon from 19 July to 22 July.

Currently, there are over 300 elected MYPs from across the UK, aged between 13 and 18 (inclusive). MYPs represent both young men and women, including young people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and with physical and learning disabilities, and agreements are established with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure they are also represented.

Any young person who wishes to be involved with Connexions can apply to be a member. If you'd like to join the Youth Board, contact your nearest Connexions and they will set the ball rolling, or contact the youth council and speak to a representative.

The Bexley representatives were elected at the youth summit held in March 2008. The Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) is David Collier and the Deputy Member of Youth Parliament (DMYP) is Terry White. David and Terry aim to be the voice of young people on a local, regional (London) and national level so if you've got something you want to say they are the people to contact.

You can do this by calling or texting David on 07815 629 196 or contacting Chris Lee via the contact details on the right hand side of this page.

A link to the UK Youth Parliament website has been provided in the right hand menu for further information.