Youth Council Retreat: What to Include and When to Run It

A new youth council forms. The first meetings go to introductions and housekeeping. Then a few more go on choosing a focus, and a few more on choosing a project. By the time anything is under way, half the year has gone.

A youth council retreat compresses those slow early months into two days.

What is a youth council retreat?

A short, focused gathering where a new or established youth council sets its purpose, writes its own ground rules, agrees roles and chooses one project it will deliver and present to councillors. Young people leave as a team with a plan, rather than a list of agenda items.

At one regional retreat, the adults left the room and gave the group five minutes to choose between two projects. Afterwards the young people said it was the first time they had felt trusted to decide on their own.

Is your group ready for one?

A retreat works best when the group is stable and a new term or intake is coming. It works less well when the group has shrunk to a handful or has stopped meeting. In that case the first job is bringing new young people in.

The quickest way to tell is the Youth Advisory Council Health Check. It takes about 15 minutes and shows whether your group's gaps are in purpose and rhythm, where a retreat helps most, or in who is in the room.

Download the free Health Check

Retreats book out early around January and the July holidays. If you're thinking about one for 2027, send us your score and we'll talk through what would suit your group. Reach out if you need anything else.