The Youth Town Council – young people making an impact!

The Youth Council works with ideas from the students themselves. 

In the spring of 2021, all students in the 10th grade of Hafnarfjörður's primary schools were offered the opportunity to take part in a role-play in the town council chamber at Hafnarborg. There, students had the opportunity to step into the role of a councillor for a day, whilst also familiarising themselves with the current art exhibition. The project was a great success; many groups of pupils visited Hafnarborg, and it has been decided that the project will become part of Hafnarborg's educational and promotional work.   

^{Year 10 pupils at Áslandsskóli were among those who excelled in the role-playing game Bæj-Ó-Pólý.}

The project includes an educational pack. 

Preparation for the project took place in the students' classroom under the guidance of their teacher. The project was accompanied by an educational pack with a short quiz and a video explaining how the Hafnarfjörður town council works. The project itself took place at Hafnarborg under the guidance of Ólöf Bjarnadóttir, the museum's education officer. After a short tour of the current exhibition, the students split into several groups in the town council chamber to discuss their own ideas and proposals, which were then presented to the meeting. Each group discussed each proposal with the aim of reaching a conclusion by listening to and evaluating the arguments and opinions of others, and exchanging views. Finally, the students took on the roles of town councillors in a council meeting and chose which proposals were most promising to forward for further processing and review by the Hafnarfjörður Youth Council.

Encourages children's democratic engagement in an interesting way 

Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees children the right to express their views in all matters that concern them. In the Youth Town Council, the project works with the students' own ideas and, through role-play, the issues are resolved using working methods and procedures in line with the municipal regulations of Hafnarfjörður. The project thus promotes the democratic participation of children in society through an active connection with cultural life. The project received a grant from the Children's Cultural Fund in the spring of 2020, but due to restrictions on gatherings and school operations, it was not possible to start until the spring of 2021. The first group took part in the project on 28th April. Next winter, the project is expected to become part of the regular educational programme at Hafnarborg.

Further information is provided by:

• Áslaug Friðjónsdóttir, Public Relations Officer, Hafnarborg: t. 664 5780
• Ólöf Bjarnadóttir, Education Officer, Hafnarborg: t. 846 8542
• Andri Ómarsson, Project Manager, Development and Service Department: t. 664 5779