Young people
Youth centres offer a wide range of leisure activities for young people in the town. Through these activities and the youth council, young people can influence the services and facilities available in the town.
Youth Council
The Hafnarfjörður Youth Council is a platform for young people aged 13–18 to convey their opinions to the right people within the town's administration.
Organisation of the youth council
The Youth Council consists of 2 representatives from each primary school in Hafnarfjörður, 3 from each secondary school in Hafnarfjörður, and 3 representatives who are selected through Hreiðrið.. The council also includes two town employees, nominated by the youth officer, who serve as advisors but may not influence its activities.
The Youth Council meets fortnightly at the Innovation Centre. The responsibility for chairing and preparing meetings is shared among the council members. This ensures that as many people as possible have the opportunity to chair meetings and learn how to prepare for one. The chairperson must also ensure that matters are dealt with in an organised manner. Decisions from meetings are recorded in minutes, which are published online.
To contact the youth council, you can send an email to ungmennarad@hafnarfjordur.is.
Youth Council
| Nafn | Hlutverk |
|---|---|
| Rakel Sunna Magnúsdóttir | Vidistaðaskóli |
| Lilja Bergrós Kristjánsdóttir | Vidistaðaskóli |
| Helgi Rafn Egilsson | School of Medicine |
| Unnar Ómar Viggóson | School of Medicine |
| Elísa Ósk Hermundardóttir | Now |
| Oddvör Skorastein | Now |
| Isabela Líf Vilhjálmsdóttir | Setberg School |
| Karólína Bríet Arelakis | Setberg School |
| Arna Björk Rafnsdóttir | Áslandsskóli |
| Anna Sigríður Magnúsdóttir | Áslandsskóli |
| Thórey Ylfa Atladóttir | Hraunvallar School |
| Steinunn Björk Gunnarsdóttir | Hraunvallaskóli |
| Elísa Axelsdóttir | Hvaleyrarskóli |
| Elisabet Benný Kristófersdóttir | Hvaleyrarskóli |
| Fjóla Huld Daðadóttir | Öldutúnsskóli |
| Sindri Dan Vignisson | Flensburg |
| Svala Eyjólfsdóttir | Staff |
| Thorunn Thorarinsdottir | Staff |
The members of the Hafnarfjörður Youth Council are:
- Oskar Steinn Ómarsson
- Thorunn Thorarinsdottir
Aims of the Youth Council
The aim of the Hafnarfjörður Youth Council is to create a platform and channels for those under the age of 18 to communicate their opinions and suggestions to the relevant parties. The participation of young people is important in order to improve the services and conditions available to them. This primarily applies to matters that concern young people in one way or another and which they know from their own experience. These include schooling, leisure activities and the planning of the immediate environment.
1. General provisions
1.1 The name of the council is the Youth Council of Hafnarfjörður, abbreviated U.M.H. Its registered office and place of jurisdiction is at Strandgata 6 in Hafnarfjörður.
1.2 Representatives in the U.M.H. can be individuals with their legal residence in Hafnarfjörður who are aged 13–17 on the year of the election.
1.3 The U.M.H. shall have a mandate for activities from young people in Hafnarfjörður.
1.4 The aim of U.M.H. is to provide those under the age of 18 with education and training in democratic practices and to create a platform and channels to enable those under 18 to express their views to the relevant parties.
2. Selection of representatives
2.1 The U.M.H. shall consist of 21 representatives. 2 from each primary school in Hafnarfjörður, 3 from each secondary school in Hafnarfjörður and 3 representatives selected via the Old Library, who may not be pupils at primary or secondary schools in Hafnarfjörður. Should the number of schools in Hafnarfjörður change, the number of representatives in the U.M.H. will be adjusted accordingly.
2.2 Representatives to the U.M.H. shall be selected by the democratically elected student councils of the schools. The student councils are thereby left to their own discretion regarding how they conduct this selection. Gender equality shall be a guiding principle when selecting representatives.
2.3 Representatives to the U.M.H. shall be elected by 15 September each autumn and shall serve until new representatives are elected the following year.
2.4 If a representative in the U.M.H. resigns or otherwise ceases to hold office, the student council of the relevant school shall elect a new representative to serve for the remainder of the term. The same applies if a representative's registered address is moved out of Hafnarfjörður.
2.5 No representative may serve for more than three consecutive years.
3. Rules of Procedure of the Council
3.1 The U.M.H. meets on Tuesdays fortnightly in premises provided by the City of Hafnarfjörður. The council's staff shall convene the first meeting, at which the meeting times shall be decided.
3.2 The chairing and preparation of meetings are shared among the members of the council, and therefore no formal chair is elected. This division of duties shall be decided at the first meeting of each term of office.
3.3 The council's staff shall be appointed by the Youth Officer of the City of Hafnarfjörður. They do not take the initiative, unless an urgent necessity arises. The council's staff work primarily as advisers and therefore must not influence its activities. They also record the minutes of the council's meetings and assist in implementing its resolutions.
3.4 U.M.H. may cancel four meetings during the summer season and the same number of meetings during the winter season in special circumstances.
3.5 U.M.H. shall endeavour to hold a meeting with the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður in the autumn and with the Hafnarfjörður Town Council in the spring each year.
3.6 Meetings of the Council shall follow general rules of procedure.
4. How to amend the law
4.1 The youth council now approves amendments to these statutes. A re-election is then held under the unamended statutes, and the new youth council must approve the amendments for them to come into force.
5. Transitional provisions
5.1 The first Hafnarfjörður Youth Council will be elected in March 2005 and will serve until the autumn of the same year. According to the U.M.H. statutes, the election is to be based on the autumn of 2004.
Hafnarfjörður, 4 November 2011