New youth council in Meckenheim: fresh wind for the future!

New youth council in Meckenheim: fresh wind for the future!

On February 26, 2025, an important meeting of the committee for children, youth and family took place in Meckenheim. This meeting marked the official establishment of the new youth council for the legislative period 2025-2027. The aim of this council is to represent the interests and concerns of the youth in the municipality.

The youth council now has a clear management structure due to the election of Dorian Deuster as 1st chairman and Denise Hardt as the 2nd chair. The Council consists of nine members between the ages of 15 and 21, including schoolchildren and students. This composition enables direct representation of the opinions and concerns of the young population in Meckenheim.

goals of the youth council

One of the primary goals of the youth council is to increase the turnout of young people in the next local elections in two years. Various events are planned to achieve this goal, including workshops, parties and sports activities. These initiatives should not only promote participation in elections, but also strengthen the sense of community among young people.

The members of the youth council are: Lia Marie Gerhardt, Paul Mieke, Aileen Hardt, Denise Hardt, Leon Höthker, Catalina Kappis, Allaith Alhariri, Dorian Deuster and Joel Fraatz. They are all looking forward to two productive years in which they can actively contribute to the design of their living environment.

participation of young people in the municipality

The importance of local participation of young people has been supported by various actors for over 30 years, including foundations, associations, the federal government and municipalities themselves. Municipalities represent their immediate living environment for children and adolescents, and the decisions that are made here have an impact on their everyday life. The participation takes place in a variety of formats, including about children's and youth parliaments as well as youth councilors, as it were mixed in different forms such as open and closed participation formats.

The heterogeneity in participation is influenced by local conditions and requirements of the countries. In some federal states there are clear regulations for participation in municipal orders, while in others the framework is varying. In order to achieve width and inclusive representation, barrier -free access and age -appropriate information are necessary. Specialists who promote participation also require suitable resources. These challenges are particularly noticeable when representing the concerns of socially disadvantaged groups.

Overall, the establishment of the youth council in Meckenheim shows how important the participation of young people in municipal decisions is. Only through clear structures and a transparent integration can the concerns of children and adolescents be effectively represented. In this way, her voice is not only heard in politics, but is actively introduced to the design of the community, as well as Blick-aktuell.de and gruene-meckenheim.de clarify.