Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton
Youth Council and Forum Directory
This directory provides some details of the variety of youth councils and forums that exist across the four local authorities of Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. The directory aims to collate in one place a list of youth councils and forums which young people, practitioners and strategic managers can use to find out where local groups exist. It is assumed that the directory could be used by:
- young people moving into the area and wanting to join a group
- practitioners to sign post a young person to a local group and to identify groups they can consult with on relevant issues
- strategic managers to identify groups they can discuss relevant issues with
Access the Youth Council and Forum Directory (
Adobe Acrobat Document, size 114Kb - download Acrobat Reader)
Youth Councils and Boards are one way of engaging young people in governance and can provide a springboard for further involvement in other activities and forums.
Children and young people have a right to be involved in the decisions that affect them. There are so many opportunities for children and young people to take an active part in shaping where they live, the services they use and the running of local and national organisations. Their participation is essential to improve services.
Useful websites
Hampshire sites
National sites
A national voice - run for and by young people who are or have been in care
British Youth Council the national youth council for young people aged under 26 in the UK.The Office of the Children’s Commissioner to make sure your voice is heard by decision makers like politicians, carers, parents and the media
Changemakers - aim to stimulate enterprising minds, motivate active citizens and educate future leaders.
Children's Rights Alliance for England - Young people get active where children and young people can get information about children's rights and how you can try to make change happen.
Commission for Social Care Inspection - Passing it on Views of Children and Young People on the Government’s Guidelines for Sharing Confidential Information about them
HeadsUp - an online debating space for under 18s to share their views on political issues and events.
Help yourselves!- gives young people in Britain the chance to develop local projects and speak out on issues that affect them. This site could help you make a real difference to your town, village or community!
National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) - a UK charity providing children's rights and socio-legal services.
UK Youth Parliament - aim to give the young people of the UK, between the age of 11 and 18 a voice, which 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.
Youth Forum - The European Youth Forum is an international organisation established by national youth councils and international non-governmental youth organisations to represent the interests of young people from all over Europe.
Young people's version of the CYPP (
Adobe Acrobat Document, size 971Kb - download Acrobat Reader) - Hampshire children and young people's plan