Monmouthshire County Council held its annual youth conference on Friday 23 May at County Hall in Usk.

The youth conference allows young people from schools across the county to unpack and dig deeper into the three priority areas identified in the 2025 Make Your Mark survey, which a record-breaking 3,509 young people took part in.

The priority areas were:

1. Cost of living (with 17.1% share of the total vote from all respondents)
2. Mental health matters (with 17% share of the total vote from all respondents)
3. Employment and skills (with 14% share of the total vote from all respondents)

Discussions and workshops around those priority areas were conducted with a view to formulate recommendations for decision makers, public services and young people themselves to address over the coming year.

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Rocio Cifuentes, opened this year’s youth conference and gave some perspective of the top three priority issues at a national level.

Cllr Angela Sandles, Cabinet Member for Equalities and Engagement, said: “It is vital that we listen to the voices of young people across Monmouthshire and hear what is important to them.

“Engaging with people of all ages will help us to form a balanced picture of what matters most to the people of Monmouthshire.

“I hope that everyone who attended Friday’s Youth Conference was able to take away an understanding of how we all have to support each other to thrive as a county.

“This is always my favourite conference of the council year, listening to the voices of our young people inspires me and reminds us of all of the insight and innovation they bring.”

Cllr Laura Wright, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “Learning how local government can function to support people from all aspects of society can be an extremely beneficial part of education.

“It was great to see so many young people taking part in the Youth Conference.

“I particularly enjoyed listening to them discussing mental health and wellbeing, reflecting on their experiences and sharing their ideas.

“They have given me a lot to think about and I look forward to working with young people across Monmouthshire to protect and improve mental health in our schools.”

For more information about the youth conference, the Make Your Mark survey and more, visit the Youth Service’s webpage at monlife.co.uk/connect/youth-service/

Tags: make your mark, Monmouthshire, news, Usk