PUPILS from Hampshire schools visited the County Council’s headquarters in Winchester last week, to take part in the latest Hampshire County Youth Conference - to mark Local Democracy Week.

The conference is an opportunity for young people to come together to discuss local issues, and directly question decision-makers on the matters that are important to them.

The event is organised with the support of Hampshire’s Members of Youth Parliament, and is chaired by the County Council’s Youth Voice Representatives.

Last week’s conference, entitled ‘Your Council: Our Council’, was attended by school council members from Winchester’s King’s School, and politics students from Yateley School.

With the help of Hampshire County Councillors, pupils participated in a range of workshops designed to show them what the County Council does, how it works, and how the democratic processes can be mirrored in their own school councils.

The students also participated in a mock scrutiny committee, chaired by the Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Roy Perry.

Representatives from the schools panelled their ideas for school projects, which included a ‘Prom Points’ rewards scheme, and a fundraising initiative to save a local youth club from closure, before tackling tough questions from the committee about how these projects could work in practice.

Councillor Perry said: “It is extremely important that we communicate well with Hampshire’s young people. Through our close work with local members of the Youth Parliament and our Youth Voice representatives, we are already helping to ensure the voices of young people are heard in Hampshire, and that their views can help us to shape and deliver high-quality services.

“The Youth Conference offers an excellent opportunity for this to happen – enabling us to talk to young people about the things that matter to them. I hope that they found the experience as valuable as we did.”

The conference also launched a new campaign by Hampshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Hayes – called ‘Be Part of the Solution’.

The scheme seeks to improve outcomes for young people by encouraging them to make informed decisions that improve their wellbeing, and the wellbeing of those around them.

All Youth Conference participants were invited to make a pledge to ‘Be Part of the Solution’, by making a positive contribution to the campaign, whether a school pupil pledges to help a friend in need, or a County Councillor pledging to raise awareness in their local community.

Former Aldworth School pupil Zoni Asif, Youth Commission member, and Hampshire Member of Youth Parliament, presented the campaign at the conference.

She said: "The young people who attended seemed to engage in our presentation, and it allowed them to realise that firstly, they may already be doing something that is 'part of the solution' - and secondly, that a simple pledge is all that it takes."

To learn more about ‘Be Part of the Solution’, visit www.bepartofthesolution.org.uk, follow @BePartoftheSol on Twitter, or search PartoftheSolution on Facebook.

To learn more about how young people can share their views, get involved in Youth Parliament, become a Youth Voice Representative, and other opportunities for youth engagement at Hampshire County Council, visit www.hants.gov.uk/hcyc