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Epping Forest Youth Council

We are a body of 24 young people elected by our peers to give young people a voice in the community.

The Epping Forest Youth Council has been established since 2008.

To be eligible to stand as a candidate, you must be between 12 to 17 years of age and live in the Epping Forest district. We serve for 2 years, and we meet fortnightly at the Civic Offices in Epping. The next youth council election will be held in March 2026.

Our role in the local community

Being a Youth Councillor means you have an important role in saying how local services are run. Your views are important, but you will also represent other young people and their views, even if you don’t always agree with them. You will meet with adult Councillors from the district, town and parish councils, to ensure that young people’s voices are heard locally.

Meet the 2024 – 2026 Youth Councillors

Our mission statement

  • We are young people working together to change Epping Forest district for the better, by voicing the views of young people who want to be heard, to those who can make it happen
  • We aim to give young people a voice in their community
  • We contribute to local consultations and surveys to make sure we can affect change in the Epping Forest district
  • We seek to make changes and improvements by addressing local issues that arise during our 2 years in office
  • Our manifesto sets out our key objectives and some of the actions we will take to achieve these

Our manifesto

Giving young people a voice in the community for a better future

  • Young people are represented equally in the community
  • Build good relationships between schools, young people, and the district council
  • Youth councillors develop strong links in schools to ensure voters feel represented by the youth council
  • Empower young people to participation in the democratic process
  • Promote inclusivity, diversity and equality in all project work

Help make Epping Forest district a better and safer place to live

  • Promote youth activities, youth groups and volunteering opportunities
  • Raise the profile of young people’s achievements in the Epping Forest district
  • Be active in our local communities to make a difference
  • Raise awareness of hate crime

Supporting young people’s health and wellbeing

  • Promote the health and wellbeing of young people
  • Develop life skills to enable young people to become employable and successful
  • Raise awareness of local services for young people
  • Tackle loneliness and isolation through acts of kindness and promoting community activities

Addressing current issues

  • Support climate change and environmental initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint
  • Raise awareness of underage vaping and the dangers of vaping
  • Support recycling in schools and the wider community
  • Raise awareness of austerity and money management, such as living on a budget
  • Support cleaner and greener transport, such as car sharing, public transport, and walking
  • Support climate change and environmental initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint

Youth Council meetings and agendas

Promoting youth activities and youth groups

There are currently 68 youth activities on the map, including 17 nature reserves. If you wish to include your group or know of a group that would like to be added, follow the link and add it to the map:

Read our latest reports

Watch our videos

Youth debates

Youth Council films

Projects and awards

  1. Youth projects interactive map
  2. We R Safe 2019
  3. We R Safe movie collection launch video
  4. We R Safe photos
  5. COVID-19 information film May 2020
  6. Epping Forest Health and Wellbeing Youth Conference 2019 video
  7. National Crimebeat awards 2018 video
  8. Youth Elections 2018 video
  9. Epping Forest Youth Conference 2017 video
  10. Speed meeting with youth councillors and adult councillors 2017 video
  11. Say No to N2O 2017 video
  12. Jack Petchey Crystal Award 2015

More information