Thirty new members of a youth council have met in Lichfield for the first time.
The youngsters from schools such as Lichfield Cathedral School, Queen’s Croft High School, King Edward VI High School and Erasmus Darwin Academy attended the session at Lichfield District Council House, while a group from Chase Terrace Academy attended virtually.
The Lichfield District Young Council will meet monthly and aims to engage participants on decisions which impact them.
The initiative is being funded by £60,000 over the next three years.
During the inaugural meeting Tom Woods, of Erasmus Darwin Academy, was elected chair of the youth council.
“I am proud and honoured to be elected chair and am excited that the voices of young people will be heard louder than ever.”
Tom Woods, Lichfield District Youth Council
The first meeting also saw representatives from groups such as Liberty Jamboree and Fun Club Hub in attendance.
Lichfield District Council’s cabinet member for community engagement, Cllr Richard Cox, said:
“It was great to see so many young people from the participating schools attend the first Lichfield District Youth Council.
“The importance of the youth council will be to obtain the views of young people that otherwise may go unheard within Lichfield District Council.
“It was an absolute pleasure to witness how positive the young people were engaged in the process of electing a chair and their very open expressive discussions, raising the issues that they wish to bring forward onto their agenda.
“Their enthusiasm was clear to see and certainly bodes well for future meetings.”
Cllr Richard Cox, Lichfield District Council
