June 2026
Welcome to the June edition of our newsletter! It’s been a busy and productive month filled with opportunities to scrutinise legislation, attend committee meetings and let off some steam at our team building day. With summer here, this is our final update until September. Read on to see what we’ve been up to this month.
Legislation
Youth Assembly Members were in Parliament Buildings a lot this month as they gave evidence on three Bills to the Committee for Education and the Committee for Finance.
Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill
On 17 June, Members gave evidence to the Committee for Finance on the Marriage and Civil Partnerships Bill. This Bill proposes changes to who can carry out marriage ceremonies and raises the minimum age for marriage and civil partnership to from 16 to 18 years of age.
Click this link to watch the Youth Assembly Members in action and to read their report: https://niyouthassembly.org/assembly-committee-work/
Youth Assembly Members pictured with Committee Chairperson Matthew O’Toole MLA and Deputy Chairperson Diane Forsythe MLA, Parliament Buildings, 17 June 2026.
Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill and Irish-medium Education (Workforce Plan) Bill
On 24 June, Members gave evidence to the Committee for Education on two Private Members’ Bills.
The Irish-medium Education (Workforce Plan) Bill sponsored by Pat Sheehan MLA, aims to ensure there are enough teachers and staff to support and grow Irish-medium education in Northern Ireland through a dedicated workforce plan.
The Education (Holiday Meal Payments) Bill sponsored by Danny Baker MLA, seeks to provide payments to support children entitled to free school meals during school holidays.
Click this link to watch the Youth Assembly Members in action and to read their reports: https://niyouthassembly.org/assembly-committee-work/
Youth Assembly Members pictured with Committee Chairperson Matthew O’Toole MLA and Deputy Chairperson Diane Forsythe MLA, Parliament Buildings, 17 June 2026.
Young People and Policing
On 16 June, Members attended an event at Ulster University hosted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland entitled Youth Reference, Engagement and Listening (REAL).
In line with their Children and Young People Strategy, the PSNI organised this event to hear directly from young people and to explore how they can continue working with them in delivering the strategy’s key themes. This event focused on issues relating to victims, witnesses, and suspected offending.
Members enjoyed a packed agenda that included opening remarks from Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton, presentations on the Victims and Witnesses Strategy and the Suspected Offending Strategy, and lively focus group discussions led by senior officers. The event concluded with a plenary session and closing remarks from Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, highlighting the importance of collaboration and innovation in youth engagement and community policing.
We look forward to ongoing engagement with the PSNI and thank them for including us in this important event.
Youth Assembly Members Tomila and Dáire pictured with Assistant Chief Constable, Ryan Henderson, Ulster University, 16 June 2026.
Meeting with Labour Relations Agency
On 25 June, Members met with officials from the Labour Relations Agency to understand more about their work. They discovered that they help people at work sort out problems and their service is free, fair, and private. They give advice on how to treat workers properly and help workplaces create good rules and policies. They also help solve arguments at work by talking things through or using services like mediation and arbitration.
To find out more about the Labour Relations agency click here: https://www.lra.org.uk/
Youth Assembly Members pictured online with staff from the Labour Relations Agency, 25 June 2026.
Media Training and Teambuilding Day
On 19 June, Members attended a team building day held at Parliament Buildings. As part of the programme, Members took part in a media training session delivered by Lindsey Armstrong, an experienced broadcast journalist who has worked with BBC, UTV and GMTV. The training focused on developing effective communication skills, building confidence when engaging with the media, and understanding how to deliver clear and consistent messages in broadcast interviews.
Youth Assembly Members pictured with Lindsey Armstrong in the Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings, 19 June 2026.
Afterwards, the group headed to the Dundonald Ice Bowl for a game of bowling, giving everyone a chance to relax and enjoy some time together.
Youth Assembly Members pictured bowling at Dundonald Ice Bowl, 19 June 2026.
Youth Assembly
Committees
Youth Assembly committees have been meeting with experts to progress their research projects.
🩺 Health Committee: Understanding social media addiction in young people
This month, the Health Committee focused on exploring whether harmful social media use should be considered an addiction and what this means for young people’s health. Members reflected on insights from a recent event and shared their own perspectives before agreeing on how they want to gather evidence. As a group, they discussed using a large-scale survey and began shaping what this could look like, including who to send it to and what questions to include.
Youth Assembly Health Committee Members meet online, 16 June 2026
📚 Education Committee: How much does it really cost to go to school in NI?
The Education Committee has decided to use a survey to gather in-depth insights into young people’s experiences of the cost of education. Together, Members began shaping the survey, highlighting key topics like the most expensive school costs, barriers to taking part in school life, and how these costs impact young people. They plan to share and distribute the survey at their plenary session in September.
Youth Assembly Education Committee Members meet online, 16 June 2026
⚖️ Rights & Equality Committee: Ending violence against women and girls from the perspective of young boys
The Rights and Equality Committee heard from guest speakers Tahnee McCorry (CEO of White Ribbon NI) and Dr Alan McKinstry (Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast), who shared their expertise and answered questions from Members. These discussions helped build a deeper understanding of the issue and will support the Committee in shaping next steps.
Youth Assembly Rights & Equality Committee Members pictured with Tahnee McCorry, online, 23 June 2026.
Youth Assembly Rights & Equality Committee Members pictured with Alan McKinstry, online, 23 June 2026.
Coming Up
2 July: Meeting with American Council of Young Political Leaders ACYPL
18 August: Meeting of Youth and Policing Partnership Forum
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