Membership

The Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF) was created by the Department of Education in 1979 to ensure that young people’s opinions were heard and valued by government. As part of the Youth Sector, NIYF was asked to help young people engage in decision-making about the delivery of services such as youth clubs, local youth councils, as well as in wider society.

Today NIYF’s mantra is ‘promoting the voice of young people’, and it works with young people across Northern Ireland to ensure they are able to fully participate in making decisions within their community.

NIYF is a member-based organisation, which means that it gets its direction and focus from the young people it is created to work for. Membership is open to all young people living in Northern Ireland aged between 11 and 25 who support the core values and aims of the NIYF.

Members are encouraged to take an active role in the life of the organisation, including standing for election to the Executive Committee. Members also receive our monthly email newsletter ‘eBumpfh’ that contains information about current work, training opportunities, and exciting events.

The Executive Committee set the strategic direction of the work, and are elected every two years from within the membership. The Executive Committee work with staff at an annual strategic planning residential to create the work plan for the following year. The Executive then meet with members twice each year to inform them of the key work of the organisation, including at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Youth organisations that actively involve young people in decision-making within their daily activities can become organisational members of the Youth Forum. Some examples of these are Shadow Youth Councils or youth leader committees in youth clubs.

If you are a young person who is interested in becoming a member of NIYF, or represent a youth organisation that actively promotes the participation of young people in decision-making and management, you can do so by completing an application form or signing up online here.