On Tuesday, May 7, members of the current Isle of Wight Youth Council decided their priorities for the term.

The representatives had earlier taken up their roles on Tuesday, April 2, and can stay in their positions until 2026.

The Isle of Wight Youth Council is an elected advisory body to the Isle of Wight Council on youth issues.

It is elected by young people aged between 11 and 21 and its job is to work on their behalf, influencing decisions. 

Lianne Ponferrada is the current chairperson.

She is writing a regular column for the Isle of Wight County Press, to ensure the youth council's work is widely recognised.

She write: These agreed priorities are the foundations of the causes the Youth Council will advocate for, in the next two years. 

After much vigorous debate, our priorities are: 

  • Health and wellbeing
  • Education and learning
  • Transport and environment 
  • Crime and safety 
  • Jobs, the economy and benefits 
  • Culture, heritage and arts
  • Rights, equalities and diversity 

These were decided based on the 2024 Make Your Mark results, as well as opinion from the Youth Alliance conference, held this year.

We took an even more democratic approach, as we luckily had two opportunities to consult local youth. I must thank previous leadership and the Youth Trust for this.

The previous term laid down a solid legacy, which we wish to build upon. 

We have mimicked the Isle of Wight Council's change from cabinet to committee system.

Each priority will have a committee, which is only possible because of our higher numbers this term.

Our next plans include electing committee leads, allowing members to champion multiple causes. 

Apart from committee leads, we collectively implemented a ‘democratic officer’ role, to further encompass the Make Your Mark priorities. 

My foremost responsibility as Chair is to empower each member: Allowing the conversation to flow and ideas to unfold. Conversation has indeed flowed, with each youth councillor demonstrating incredible skills and evaluating priorities carefully. This served as a brilliant reminder of why I ran for chairperson.

I look forward to seeing our newer members continue to flourish.