Children and young people are the best experts on their own behalf. In order to give their voice weight and take young people seriously, the council decided a year ago to set up a children's and youth advisory board. Now the committee is slowly taking shape. At its most recent meeting on November 9, 2023, the Council adopted the rules of procedure for the Children and Youth Advisory Board. It also agreed that the young people who are members of the Children's and Youth Advisory Board should receive an attendance fee for participating in the advisory boards and committee meetings. This currently amounts to 60 euros in line with the compensation ordinance.
Half of the Children's and Youth Advisory Council is made up of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 and a quarter each of representatives from politics and administration. The number of members is based on the number of political groups in the council. This currently corresponds to seven political representatives, seven administrative representatives and 14 children and young people.
The selection of the young members and their deputies is based on a random selection. The aim is to ensure an even balance of gender, age and type of school attended. In mid-October 2023, the city of Bonn wrote to 1,000 children and young people. They have until November 15, 2023 to register if they would like to be represented on the Children's and Youth Advisory Council. The young members are to be appointed by the council at the next council meeting so that the Children's and Youth Advisory Council can be convened and begin its work in the new year.
Where can the advisory board have a say?
Whenever something is changed in Bonn, all Bonn residents should have the opportunity to have their say and help shape it. The Children's and Youth Advisory Council is intended to ensure that the rights of children and young people are taken into account in the planning and implementation of participation projects. It discusses how the participation of children and young people should be specifically organized in participation and involvement processes. The advisory board also has the task of drawing up proposals on how to further expand child and youth participation in Bonn.
The establishment of a children's and youth advisory board was already decided by the council about a year ago with the concept for "Child and youth participation in administrative action and political decision-making processes in Bonn". The city of Bonn is thus committed to involving young people intensively in political decision-making processes.