Meet our Youth Forum

We are committed to supporting young people in Horsham District

We are committed to supporting young people in Horsham District in a variety of ways, including offering opportunities for them to have their say, providing places for them to go and improving the availability of information and advice tailored to them.

One of the ways that we try and ensure young people can get their voices heard is via our Youth Forums. The Horsham District Youth Forum meets monthly at Hurst Youth Centre. The group looks at campaigning, gives their views on elements of the Council's work and
takes part in consultations.

Hot topics

In recent meetings they spoke about the reputation of young people in the District. They talked about the actions of a small minority negatively affecting perceptions of them. They considered the positives about living in the District; including the community feel, good schools and sporting opportunities on offer.

They also talked about barriers to getting around and financial issues, including difficulties finding part-time employment. They discussed pressures around mental health concerns, online issues such as harassment, cyber bullying as well as societal, educational and family expectations.

Expert advice

Following this, they were joined by representatives from Sussex Police who talked to them about the National Crime Agency’s recent campaign focussing on the rise of ‘sextortion’ (a type of online blackmail where victims are targeted by offenders threatening to release explicit photos of them). A large proportion of cases have involved male victims aged between 14 and 18, and cases have contributed to self-harm and suicide making it an important topic for young people to recognise and feel comfortable reporting.

Views from across the District

In order to engage with more young people across the District, we have recently established a new Storrington and Sullington Youth Forum.  We are also in the process of launching a Billingshurst and Pulborough group following a series of pre- meetings with students at The Weald school as well as at local youth groups.