Epping Forest Youth Council

We are a body of 25 young people elected by our peers to give young people a voice in the community.

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 2024.

The Epping Forest Youth Council has been established since 2008.

• View the Epping Forest Youth Councillor poster (PDF 816KB)

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 for 2022 to 2024

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

Youth Council meetings and agendas

• Browse meetings and agendas for Epping Forest Youth Council

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:

• Find a youth group or project

Read our latest reports

• EFYC Cost of Living Report 20 April 2023 (pdf 195KB)
• Report to Overview and Scrutiny on 31 March 2022 (pdf 227KB)
• Report to Overview and Scrutiny on 15 April 2021 (pdf 139KB)
• EFYC Health and Wellbeing Report 2020 (pdf 1MB)
• Report to Cabinet on 19 October 2020 (pdf 294KB)
• Report to Overview and Scrutiny on 17 March 2020 (pdf 152KB)
• EFYC drugs project report 2019 (pdf 5MB)

Watch our videos

• 20 April 2023 Overview & Scrutiny Committee
• MiLife C19 Evaluation film 2022
• EFYC Climate Action Conference 2021
• MiLife COVID-19 Launch video 2021
• EFYC COVID-19 information film 2020
• We R Safe 2019
  1. We R Safe 1/5 – Realise
  2. We R Safe 2/5 – Run
  3. We R Safe 3/5 – Report
  4. We R Safe 4/5 – Resist
  5. We R Safe 5/5 – Resilience

• EFYC Youth Council election video 2018
• EFYC Say No to N2O – YouTube 2017
• EFYC youth conference 2017
• Speed meeting event 2017
• EFYC MiBox wellbeing tool
• EFYC Youth Debate 2012

Youth debates

• EFYC climate action conference – webcast 2021
• EFYC police liaison officer debate – YouTube 2017

MiLife wellbeing resources

• YouTube – Mel’s MiBox – How to create a box that can build your emotional resilience and support positive mental health
• YouTube – Dan’s MiBox – How to create a box that can build your emotional resilience and support positive mental health
• YouTube – Real Life Stories of Emotional Wellbeing & Mental Health: Dealing with Depression as a Young Person – An actor recounts a real young person’s words as they reflect on the experience of suffering from depression
• YouTube – Real Life Stories of Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health: Coping with Stress and Anxiety – An actor recounts a real young person’s words as they reflect on the experience of suffering from stress and anxiety
• YouTube – What is Mental Health?
• YouTube – Symptoms of a panic attack

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