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Aylesbury Youth Town Council logo

What is Aylesbury Youth Town Council?

The Aylesbury Youth Town Council (AYTC) empowers young people in Aylesbury to have a say in local decision-making, develop essential skills, and actively contribute to their community. AYTC members work on projects, support local charities, and engage in community events, fostering a sense of pride and responsibility. Through AYTC, youth voices are heard, ideas are shared, and future leaders are nurtured.

Previous initiatives organised by Aylesbury Youth Town Council include packing food parcels at Aylesbury Foodbank, stalls in Aylesbury Town Centre raising awareness of the Mayor’s charity of the year.

Aims of Aylesbury Youth Town Council

  • To foster community pride through volunteering and community involvement activities.
  • To promote and support local charities through fundraising, campaigning, and volunteering efforts.
  • To enhance opportunities, and support available, to young people within the Parish.
  • To ensure young people’s voices are heard and considered, by serving as a mechanism for youth consultation in local policy and decision-making processes.
  • To increase awareness and understanding of the roles, functions, and processes of Aylesbury Town Council and Aylesbury Youth Town Council within the Parish.
  • To enhance Youth Town Councillors’ personal development through improving their understanding of democratic processes and providing opportunities to develop essential skills such as public speaking, teamwork, and project management.

What we do

Bag Packing At Tesco
Catch Up With The Mayor in Town Hall chamber
Volunteer Fun Conor With Lauren And Rosemary
Meiyang Receiving Certificate From The Mayor For Being An Amazing Ytc
Chidum The Mayor At The Nativity Production October 2022
Cheque presentation in chamber
Evie Glitter Tattoo
Glitter Stall In Action
Aytc Youth Concern Stall

Why should I get involved?

  1. Make new friends. You’ll meet likeminded people who have similar passions and interests to you!
  2. Do good and feel good. We want you to use your voice to represent your generation. By doing so, you’ll get a huge feel-good kick.
  3. Boost your confidence. It can be overwhelming thinking about life after school, college or university. As a Youth Town Councillor, you’ll do things as a group to better your community and will pick up bags of confidence along the way.
  4. Open up future opportunities. All you learn and experience with Aylesbury Youth Town Council will set you up for your future. You’ll learn skills like leadership, teamwork and other transferable skills that will help you beyond your education.
  5. Have fun! We don’t take ourselves too seriously but equally enjoy expressing our views and opinions to benefit the younger generation in Aylesbury.

 

How to get involved

 

Make sure you follow the Youth Town Council Instagram page too @aylesburyyouthtowncouncil. Visit our Instagram page.

The application window has now closed. To express your interest please email the Aylesbury Youth Town Council Clerk

Aylesbury Youth Town Council Members

Conor Walsh – March 2020

Ola Adebusiola – May 2021

John Utime – September 2022

Sophie Nowak – October 2022

Chidum Eke – October 2022

Anjali Kumer – May 2023

Evie Leung – July 2023

Stories and projects

Governing document workshop by Ola
The Aylesbury Youth Town Councillors (AYTC) recently convened with the Youth Town Clerk to review our governing document. Throughout the session, we engaged in lively brainstorming and thoughtful deliberation, particularly focusing on enhancing the Aylesbury Youth Town Council’s connection with the town’s youth. A significant aspect of our discussion centred on the vital role the AYTC plays as a conduit, effectively amplifying the voices of Aylesbury’s youth to the broader Aylesbury Town Councillors. We recognised the importance of this task, ensuring our peers’ concerns are heard and addressed in the decision-making process. Moreover, we explored ways to expand the AYTC’s reach, aiming for a more diverse representation of youth across the parish. We deeply believe in the transformative potential within our community’s youth and are committed to ensuring our voices and concerns are heard. This workshop marked a pivotal moment for the AYTC, providing insight and inspiration to continue championing Aylesbury’s youth interests and fostering positive change. As we move forward, we remain dedicated to building a brighter future for generations to come. -By Ola, Aylesbury Youth Town Councillor
Sophie’s AYTC journey
Hi! My name is Sophie, I have been a member of the Aylesbury Youth Town Council (AYTC) for two years now. I joined because of my best friend’s recommendation, its mention in the Aylesbury Town Matters magazines, and because I was looking for a social extracurricular activity outside of school. And honestly, I wish I had joined sooner! I love volunteering because it allows me to interact with the public, and I really feel as though I am making a positive impact on the community. Events such as Christmas on the Cobbles and Soapbox Derby are super fun as we help out with the activity stalls for kids and I enjoy spending the day with other members because they are all so friendly. One of my favourite memories as a AYTC member is attending Mayor Making back in May 2023. It was such a unique opportunity to experience something I otherwise wouldn’t have had access to. Overall, I thoroughly enjoy being a member as it has taught me many valuable skills such as teamwork as well as leadership… and that there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a volunteering project come to life!

Aylesbury Youth Town Councillor Ambassadors

“My name is Meiyang and I’m a member of the Youth Town Council. I recently graduated from Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School and am on a gap year, planning on studying Law at university. To build experience, I have been academically engaged through participating in essay competitions and Moot (mock judicial proceedings examining a hypothetical case). However, I soon realised that it wasn’t enough because I lacked exposure in how law works in practice. This eagerness for knowledge led me to pursue a judge marshalling work experience at the Aylesbury Crown Court.

The night before, I prepared my suits ready for this amazing experience but the morning of my first day was, of course, a nervous one. I walked inside the Crown Court, was checked by the security guards and marched my way upstairs. My stomach was full of butterflies as I walked through the long corridor with paintings of different judges on the wall. I greeted Judge Sheridan at court and was immediately amazed by the solemn atmosphere. I was excited but at the same time, anxious.

I witnessed Judge Sheridan’s usual ‘Monday’ work where he listed all the cases for trial. The Judge carefully considered the details of each case and saw the defendant either in person or through screens. One case regarding a suspended sentence for non-compliance left me in a state of reflection. This case was associated with revenge pornography and the defendant wished to be given another chance through community work instead of imprisonment. However, weighing up the evidence, Judge Sheridan decided to dismiss the suspension sentence order. Such cases displayed the balance between rehabilitation and adequate punishment which plays an important element in our criminal justice system. I was amazed by the Judge’s clear line of reasoning and admired the advocacy skills of criminal barristers. As for the second and third day, I sat through trials and legal debates between lawyers. The variety of events demystified the ‘secret business’ of Crown Court and expanded my legal knowledge. Not only that, I have learnt more legal vocabulary, and also sharpened my logic reasoning. This experience was certainly a precious one because it confirmed my desire to pursue a legal career. The professionalism of lawyers and all the Judges I have met inspired me deeply. They are my role models in the journey of Law.

I would like to express my gratitude to Judge Sheridan for accepting me and the Town Clerk who helped me in securing this opportunity. I am proud to be an active member of society because without being a member of the Youth Town Council, I would never have been this close to my dream and participate in this work experience!

Meiyang Jiang
Youth Town Councillor

 

“The Town Council deserve great credit for assisting a student with work experience in difficult circumstances during Covid and they have placed a first-class student as their first candidate for work experience and they should be very proud of themselves. I shall be happy to assist in the future if I asked.”

– HHJ Sheridan