YouthAction Northern Ireland is committed to working withGovernment to create a society where young people can live fuller,healthier and more equal lives.

This manifesto:• has been developed by and with 549 young people;• is based on priority issues identified by young people aged 13-25 years;• is based on research and evidence from a range of primary and

secondary sources; and• will be used as a campaigning mechanism for young people to Members

of the Legislative Assembly and political parties within Northern Ireland.

The full manifesto document is available byvisiting the YouthAction web sitewww.youthaction.org

www.facebook.com/YouthActionNI

Contact: YouthAction Northern Ireland 14 College Square North, Belfast, BT1 6AS

Belfast: 028 9024 0551 Armagh: 028 3751 1624North West: 028 7131 8854 Ballygawley: 028 8555 6882Enniskillen: 028 6632 9209 Newry: 028 3025 6040

Company Limited by Guarantee (NI035317) Inland Revenue Charity No XR44398

YouthAction Northern Ireland calls upon elected representatives to:

1. Talk positively about young people at all times, to endorse a morepositive representation of young people across all spheres of influence,including community safety and the media.

2. Demonstrate a cooperative style of political leadership that motivatesyoung people to work together.

3. Develop strategies to ensure more equal representation of women at allpolitical levels.

4. Take evidence from young people in creative and meaningful ways,through the Assembly Committee Structures, to shape policy andstrategy.

5. Ensure all young people, by the age of 15yrs, have access to training inpositive mental health and emotional well being, (e.g. the B+Programme) through an interdepartmental initiative across youth,education and health.

6. Ensure there are adequate mental health and support services for youngpeople up to the age of 25yrs at accident and emergency services.

7. Enhance purposeful youth volunteering by implementing incentivessuch as credits against recognized training, travel and student loans.

8. Introduce a concessionary travel pass which offers discounted fares foryoung people aged up to 25 yrs (as offered in other countries) toencourage greater use of public transport.

9. Ensure school transport resources are more fully utilized outside schoolhours, especially in rural areas, by integrating with community transportand public transport strategies.

10.Expand careers education to ensure every young person can build aportfolio of employability skills, drawing on their “out of school”activities.

11.Ensure that the Educational Maintenance Allowance is inclusive andaccessible to young people up to the age of 25 who are in part timeeducation or training.

12.Extend the ‘Social Clauses Initiative’ within the Department for SocialDevelopment to influence all contracts issued by governmentdepartments to include the employment of a young unemployed person.