Programme

Date:  Monday 10th October  
Time:  10 am – 12 pm
Venue:  The Guildhall               
Aimed at:  Primary School

“The Treasure Hunt”

Primary Schools in the Derry City Council District Electoral Area are invited to participate in this event which will take place in the Guildhall.  The Treasure Hunt is designed to address a number of issues:

• First time meeting a Mayor
• First time visit to the Guildhall
• First time meeting a Councillor
• First time taking part in an election

Clues for the Treasure Hunt will be placed at strategic places in and around the Guildhall.  Throughout the Treasure Hunt children’s attention will be drawn to artefacts, statues of Royal and Historic figures, the marvellous stained glass windows and the many rooms in the Guildhall with their respective names. 

Please note a change in schedule: the presentation of certificates will now take place Wednesday 26th Oct 2.00pm

 

Mayor for a Day

After an address from the Mayor, children will be asked the question:

“If you were Mayor for a day what changes would you make and why?"

 

Portrait of a Mayor

Children will be given a drawing exercise whereby after observing previous Mayors’ Portraits which hang in the Council Chamber, they will draw a portrait of “A Mayor”.  Children will learn about the formal dress worn by a Mayor, the Mayoral Chain and its historic value.

 

Wordsearch & Quiz

Children will complete a wordsearch containing keywords pertaining to local democracy (eg) councillor; voting; ballot; politics etc.  Children will also be given information on Our City Council crest and answer questions relating to the history of the crest.

 

Debate and Voting

The final activity of the morning will be a debate followed by a voting system.  The Mayor will introduce the debate and 2 fellow Councillors.  This years’ debate will be:

Should Children be allowed to use their mobile phones during school hours?

One Councillor will propose the motion and one Councillor to oppose the motion.

When both Councillors are heard children are invited to give their comments on the topic.  At the end of the debate all children will be issued with a “ballot paper” to vote for the Councillor of their choice.  This exercise will give children the opportunity to see how the voting system works.

A light lunch will be provided after the event.

 

Date:  Tuesday 11th October        
Time:  10 am – 1 pm
Venue:  The Guildhall               
Aimed at:  Post Primary School

Council for Councils Conference

This event is designed to bring students from post primary schools together for a day as part of a ‘Super Council’.  Pupils who are part of a “Schools Council” are asked to participate in this event.  Pupils will work together in project groups and each group will be represented by one of the six Council Standing Committees.  Each group will comprise the Chairperson of the Standing Committee, a Council Officer and pupils from different schools.  A topic for discussion which is relevant to the particular Standing Committee will be given to the groups.  After discussing the individual topics the groups will reconvene to the Council Chamber where each topic will be discussed as a Super Council.

A light lunch will be provided after the event.


Date:  Wednesday 12th  October        
Time:  10.30 am – 12.30 pm
Venue:  The Guildhall               
Aimed at:  Post Primary School

 

Youth Question and Answer Time

Young people from secondary schools will have the opportunity to quiz Councillors and Officers from Derry City Council on a chosen theme. 

The theme for this years’ question and answer session will be:

The Peace Bridge – Linking our Communities Together?

The panel will consist of the Mayor, one Councillor from each political grouping, 2 Council Officers and a representative from Ilex.

A light lunch will be provided after the event.