The joint meeting brought together elected members and elected Youth Councillors and Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament to exchange perspectives on key issues affecting young people across the region. The session provided an opportunity for the Youth Council to present its current priorities, discuss areas of collaboration and highlight emerging concerns raised by young people in communities, schools and youth organisations.
Topics covered included:
- Strengthening youth participation in local democratic processes.
- Shared priorities around education, wellbeing, transport and community safety.
- Enhancing opportunities for young people to influence council planning and strategic decision-making.
- Continued development of partnership working between the council and Youth Council.
The meeting reaffirmed the long‑standing partnership between both bodies, with a focus on ensuring that the experiences and ideas of young people directly influence council policy and practice.
As part of the meeting, the following joint actions were agreed:
Economy and Infrastructure:
- Improve transport links within the region, including, improving connectivity in rural areas and providing in-person opportunities in each locality to give young people the chance to contribute and be heard in the bus review.
- Explore lighting around public spaces inc. parks, walking and cycle routes to improve safety and accessibility as part of active travel network.
- For the Youth Council and school catering team to meet and hear young people’s views on allergens, dietary requirements and suitability of school meals.
Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing:
- Create a working group to look at issues that have resulted in school toilets being locked and develop actions to ensure toilets can be re-opened and accessible to all.
- Roll out MVP (Mentors in Violence Prevention) programme in secondary schools, explore options for junior education and to link with partners i.e. domestic abuse and violence against women and girls partnership, youth work and lifelong learning.
- Campaign for more training and awareness raising for all school staff on additional support needs (ASN) and disabilities, supporting young people with ASN to speak out about issues in schools, invest in resources and look for better communication.
Enabling and Customer Services:
- Explore opportunities for young people for employment within the council to expand the council’s social media presence including apprenticeship or traineeship opportunities within the communications team.
- Add a section onto the cost-of-living website on “how to” i.e. apply for a provisional license, how to register to vote, how to make Council Tax applications, and information on how to access reliable information on politics, and specific pages for young people based on their identity i.e. care experienced.
- Youth Council to take forward making person friendly/accessible versions of key council strategies to make them accessible for everyone i.e. council plan and vision.
Cllr Katie Hagmann, Convener of Dumfries and Galloway Council, said:
“Today’s meeting was another powerful and important reminder of the insight, ambition and leadership shown by our young people across Dumfries and Galloway. The Youth Council continues to challenge us, inspire us and ensure we are listening closely to the voices of those who will shape our region’s future. We deeply value this partnership and will continue working with our Youth Councillors to improve outcomes for young people in every community.”
Teo Calimac, Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Youth Council said:
“Young people in Dumfries and Galloway care about their communities, and today’s meeting gave us the chance to speak directly with elected members about the issues that matter most to us. We’re proud of the work we’ve done together so far, and we’re committed to continuing to push for meaningful change, conversations and representation for all young people across the region.”
The council and Youth Council will meet again in 2027 to review against the shared actions and continue strengthening the youth voice in regional decision‑making.
If you would like to more information about Dumfries and Galloway Youth Council, please e-mail [email protected] or visit @YouthCouncilDG on social media.