New Highland Young People's Champion
Catriona Burns from Inverness this week took up her new full-time role as the Highland’s Youth Convener. Seventeen year old Catriona will be the sounding board for youth issues in the Highlands and will have a direct line into policy makers and decision takers and will be a member of The Highland Council’s Education Culture and Sport Committee, with full voting powers.
Catriona, who studied at Portree High School, Inverness Royal Academy, Millburn Academy, Inverness and Inverness College, will be based at the Council’s Inverness headquarters but will also work with partner agencies. Her post is for one year.
As Youth Convener, Catriona will:
• help with the Council’s co-ordination and communication with other young people;
• offer a consistent link for members and officials to informally seek their views; and
• attend Council meetings where appropriate.
A Gaelic speaker, Catriona has worked with young excluded people via the Young Carers’ Project and is passionate about improving the lives of young people.
She said: “I am really excited about this great opportunity to make a real difference to young peoples’ lives. My aim is to be the full-time voice and face of young people, and represent their views at the council and other partner organisations alongside the ECS Youth Development Team. While I hope to keep strengthening the links between the council and schools, youth forums, Highland Youth Voice and Scottish Youth Parliament, I am passionate about giving young people whose opinions may not previously been heard a voice.
“As I have lived on both the Isle of Skye and in the Merkinch area of Inverness I feel I have a good understanding of the issues that affect both rural and urban young people. I have been heavily involved in the Skye & Lochalsh Young Carers’ Project, and I hope my experiences of different aspects of being young in the Highlands will make me a better representative of young people’s issues. I can’t wait to get started.”
Council Convener Councillor Sandy Park said: “Having sat on the appointments’ panel, I am fully aware of Catriona’s ability to represent fully the views of young people. She will offer an important new dimension to the policy making and decision making process.”
Chairman of Education Culture and Sport, Councillor Bill Fernie, added: “I have no doubt that Catriona will prove a most able and persuasive champion for young people. We look forward to working with her.”
The Council already supports young people’s involvement through the Highland Youth Voice, the democratically elected youth parliament for 14-18 year-olds; Area Youth Forums; and Pupil Councils in all schools.
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