National Parish Youth Conference 2010
8th May
Bridge House Hotel
Tullamore
Co.Offaly

'Giving Youth a Voice'

Details of the Conference
The National Parish Youth Conference 2010 is to be held in the Charleville Suite in the Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore, Co. Offaly on the 8th of May from 10am to 4pm. Those attending are asked to arrive in the hotel by 9:40 for registration where they will be met by members of the Tullamore Junior PPC. Each person attending is asked to pay a fee of €10 registration which will cover the cost of the food. There will be a one hour lunch at 1pm at which time there will be a buffet. The Finger Buffet Option includes:
Fried Chicken Tenders
Pork Cocktail Sausages
Golden Fried Garlic Mushrooms
Spicy Wedges
Selection of Closed Sandwiches
Tea & Coffee

Those attending are asked not to leave the premises during the lunch. The hotel has also requested that no outside food be consumed on the premises for health and safety reasons. The event will be attended by both national and local media as well as a few well known surprise guests. 25 groups are expected to attend the conference.
Each group is asked to confirm the number of people in their group who will be attending the conference as soon as possible. However a rough estimate is needed before Monday April 12th. Bus and car parking spaces are available outside the hotel; however the bus or amounts of buses attending must also be confirmed on the above date.

What each group is asked to prepare:
Each group has a chance to stand up at the top of the conference and give a presentation on their councils:
a) Formation
b) History
c) Members and positions (past and present)
d) What it has done to date
e) Achievements
f) Aims and goals
g) Hopes for the future

Each group is encouraged to prepare a presentation on the above for the conference. It is asked that the presentation* be around 6 however groups are free to speak for longer if desired. There will also be time at the end of the presentation for questions from the other groups.
Each group is requested to bring written copies of their presentation, one for each committee with all the above information on it in as much detail as possible.
*Note: It is understandable that some groups may not be able to prepare a presentation as they may not be a proper council but they are still welcome to speak.
There will be room at the venue for each group to display any achievements such as awards or items of significance to their group. This is not compulsory but groups are encouraged to make a display to share any of their achievements and fun activities.

National Parish Youth Conference 2010
Objectives of National Parish Youth Conference 2010:
 To have an opportunity to share experiences of being a youth council and what we have learned from it
 To share ideas on how we can improve our parishes
 To share experiences on what ideas work and don’t work
 To see what we can do together on a national level
 To make decisions on how the councils can support each other
 To explore the reality of young people’s lives in Ireland.

9:00am to 9:55am: Arrival and Registration
10:00am: Welcome
1. Welcome Speech, The Purpose of the Day, The Format of the Day, What we hope to Achieve.
2. Prayer Service (Lead by Liam Lawton)
10:30am: Our Experiences as a Council
1. Each group has a chance to stand up at the top of the conference and give a presentation on their councils:
a) Formation,
b) History,
c) Members and positions (past and present),
d) What it has done to date,
e) Achievements,
f) Aims and goals,
g) Hopes for the future.
There will be questions at the end of each group.
2. Guest Speaker: How groups like ours are having an impact on the church and on their local communities etc.
Note: 5 min break after every 5 speakers and before the guest speaker’s speech. Tullamore will be the 1st council to speak.

1:00pm: Lunch
1. Entertainment

2:00pm Reality of Young People in Ireland
1. Sean Dench and Andrew Maloney will speak on this topic.

2:30pm: How groups can support each other
1. Each group is asked beforehand to present any ideas on what all the groups can do on a national level and how they can stay in touch. Ideas can come from what they’ve heard today!
2. Open Forum – Suggestions and debated.

3:30pm: Evaluation and closing
1. Open Forum – What can be improved/ Make annual?
2. Closing speeches/ Thank You’s/ Closing Prayer.

4:00pm: Depart

Note:
• Each group is encouraged to prepare and present any ideas to which groups can commit on a national level and what groups can do to stay in contact during the open forum at 2:30pm.