The National Youth Agency: Young people's participation praised atsuccessful Rural Youth Conference

More than 100 delegates drawn from a wide variety of relevant agencies heard speakers from the DfES, Defra, the National Federation of Young Farmers, The Children's Society and The NYA provide a national perspective on current developments both within and outside government.

Four groups of young people then impressed delegates with a series of presentations and workshops that illustrated the highly positive contribution that young people are making to rural communities. A group from West Chinnock in Somerset explained how they created a safe and sustainable youth shelter, while young people from Worcestershire described how their programme of activities has boosted active involvement in their rural community. Cumbria Young Farmers outlined how their own well-planned activities have had positive local impact, and the Cotswold Youth Services Forum demonstrated how they developed area youth forums firstly to identify issues and then communicate those views to decision-makers.