Wales YFC News

Following Youth Forum’s successful trip to Winter Wonderland in Cardiff in January 2023, an opportunity was seen to arrange another trip for the organisations junior members.

With travelling and socialising an integral factor of being a member of Young Farmers Club, it was lovely to see members from eight counties together for our junior members’ first overnight stay. Wales YFC’s international programme is a special one, annually providing members with opportunities to travel the world. Over the coming year, seventy members are set to travel with the programme across 10 locations. This year, the International committee and Youth Forum have worked together to arrange an additional trip, with an overnight stay for the organisations junior members.

Twenty-five Junior members came together, between 11 and 17 years old, in Aberystwyth on the 22^nd of April. Wales YFC is a democratic youth organisation, and the young members had the chance to be a part of the organisation’s development, with a session held about the organisation’s effect on the members and their development, which will contribute towards the Wales YFC impact report. 

Sessions were held by the International Committee officers to allow the members to get to know one another, these included; teambuilding, games and sports. Pizza was served to commence the evening, before welcoming ‘Jengyd’ for a teambuilding session of an escape room, all five teams succeeded to complete the task in great time. 

Staying in a residential hall, within Aberystwyth University bunkhouse, gave the members an experience of independence, and possibly prepare the older ones for university living in the future. The members experienced a farm tour at Trawsgoed Farm on the Sunday morning. The members were given an educational tour around the milking and calf rearing farms. The members also showed an interest in the machinery and the different styles of farming.

Youth Forum Chairman, Cerys, said; “My favourite bit of the weekend was seeing the junior members socialising and mixing which was what the weekend was for.”

In the feedback following the trip, it was noted that the group enjoyed meeting people from across Wales and made some new friends. It was great to hear, towards the end of the trip that they were all keen to see each other again. The junior trip was an important one as it provided an opportunity to travel, build confidence, socialise and work as a team. The hope is that this will be built on and there will be more events for the junior members of Wales YFC and it’s Youth Forum in the very near future.

We’d like to extend a big thank you to those who held sessions and to the International Committee, Jengyd and Trawsgoed Farm, also to Aberystwyth University for providing the perfect location. Onto the next trip!