Last year, a group of young people, councillors, council s gathered to discuss plans for a new youth forum in Bury St Edmunds. The first meeting was on Wednesday 3rd September and now, six meetings later, the future of the Bury St Edmunds Youth Forum looks promising.
BSEYF was established so that young people can have a voice in their community. At each meeting we talk about an issue that has been raised by a member of the forum and work to create positive local change. We also invite guest speakers in to inspire them to make this change happen. Previous guests include Lord Norman Tebbit and representatives from local rehabilitation facility, Focus12. Recently we’ve had the pleasure of announcing that the guest speaker for our AGM in September will be the Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Natalie Bennett.
And that’s not the only exciting thing happening soon. A hustings, debates on education and the EU, guest speeches about loan sharks, the police and plenty of debates about what’s happening in Bury St Edmunds – that’s what you can expect from our forum this year.
We’re always looking for more young people to join us. Anyone aged 11-20 from Bury and the surrounding area can attend. All of our meetings are open, free of charge and lots of fun. There’s no pressure to speak and you don’t have to commit to any meetings.
We’ll be happy to welcome you to our next meeting, which takes place on the first Wednesday of the month, 7-9pm at Southgate Community Centre.
If you think this is something you would like to be part of, or if you have any queries or comments, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
I look forward to seeing you there!
Toby Jeffery
Member of Youth Parliament for Bury St Edmunds
Chair, Bury St Edmunds Youth Forum
toberymyp@gmail.com
