Agenda and Minutes of the Leudal Municipal Youth Council Meeting | July 7, 2026

1. Opening and Welcome 

   • A number of young people will be joining the youth council on a trial basis

2. Announcements

   • Regular agenda item

3. New items for this meeting  

   • Regular agenda item

4. Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting 

   • Regular agenda item

5. Follow-up from the previous meeting

   • The minutes from the previous meeting list a number of items that Pien was supposed to look into. She will provide more details about these during the meeting. 

6. Recommendations for a Pump Track

   • During the meeting on May 19, several speakers spoke about the initiative to build a pump track in Heythuysen. It was then decided that this meeting would discuss a possible recommendation from the Youth Council on this matter. 

7. Photo for the BuitenBeter press release

8. Break

9. Photos of the Youth Council 

   • A professional photographer took a number of photos of the Youth Council. During the meeting on May 19, it was agreed that the members would review the photos, and then a decision would be made on which ones to use. 

10. Youth Council Evaluation

    • The Youth Council has been in operation for just over a year now. The Youth Council’s bylaws stipulate that an evaluation must take place after one year. During the meeting, the following questions, among others, will be addressed:
      1. Why did you join the youth council?
      2. What do you like best about the youth council?
      3. What did you learn from the youth council?
      4. What are some areas for improvement for the youth council? 
      5. What do you think of the way the municipality handles the recommendations from the youth council?
      6. How would you rate the municipality’s and/or politicians’ involvement with the youth council?
      7. How clear are the Youth Council's goals and responsibilities?
      8. Do you think the meetings are well-organized? (frequency, structure, duration)
      9. How do you feel about the atmosphere and communication within the youth council?
      10. Are there any training sessions or workshops that you think would be useful for the youth council?

11. Cultural Platform

    • The municipality is exploring the possibility of launching an online cultural platform. On such a platform, cultural organizations can showcase themselves to one another and to the public. They can also share knowledge with one another and seek opportunities for collaboration.
      The Youth Council is being asked whether they think a cultural platform would be useful, whether they would use it, and what they would like to see on the platform. 

12. Annual Calendar

    • A draft annual calendar has been drawn up, listing topics on which municipal employees would like to seek advice from the Youth Council. The Youth Council is asked to add to this calendar as needed. 

13. Dates of upcoming meetings  

    • July 7, 2026
    • August 18, 2026
    • September 1, 2026
    • September 29, 2026
    • November 17, 2026 

14. Questions? 

    • Regular agenda item

1. Opening and Welcome

Everyone is welcomed. Especially Julian—he’s a new member of the youth council.

2. Announcements

Following the Youth Council’s recommendation, all bare spots on the soccer fields will be reseeded after the summer.
There is a new Alderman the Youth Council; this is Alderman .

3. New items for this meeting

No new topics

4. Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting

The minutes of May 19, 2026, are hereby approved.

5. Follow-up from the previous meeting

The minutes from the previous meeting list a number of items that Pien was asked to look into. She will provide more details on these during the meeting:
The schedule for the village’s participatory play space policy, aimed at developing designs, is as follows:
2025: Ittervoort, Haelen, Horn
2026: Neer, Baexem, Ell
2027: Nunhem, Heythuysen, Haler,
2028: Buggenum, Grathem, Kelpen-Oler
2029: Hunsel, Roggel, Heibloem
2030: Neeritter
Pien will look into how far along the plans are for the villages of Ittervoort, Haelen, and Horn.
Road safety on Bergerweg will be back on the agenda on September 1. A colleague from the traffic department will join the discussion then.
The topic of fairs will be revisited later; this will first be investigated internally.
Youth hangout spots will be back on the agenda on November 17, when the colleague from public safety and the youth enforcement officer will join the discussion.
On August 18, a number of proposals regarding public lighting will be presented to the youth council.
Pien will return to the question regarding the status of the bike path between Neer Roggel and the question regarding enforcement of illegal parking later. The Youth Council’s press release has been published in *Hallo* and on the municipality’s website.

6. Recommendations for a Pump Track

During the meeting on May 19, several speakers spoke about the initiative to build a pump track in Heythuysen. It was then decided that this meeting would discuss a possible recommendation from the Youth Council on this matter.

The secretary has drafted a recommendation. The Youth Council approves this recommendation with the following amendments:

• Addition: The pump track is also suitable for scooters and skateboards
• Another key difference from a motocross track is that a pump track
  is made of asphalt or concrete.

The Youth Council agrees that the recommendation may be sent to the municipal executive
.

7. Photo for the BuitenBeter press release

A photo was taken, which will be included in a press release about the BuitenBeter
.

8. Break

10-minute break

9. Photos of the Youth Council

A professional photographer took a number of photos of the Youth Council. During the meeting, the photos were reviewed, and a decision was made regarding which photos could be used for promotional purposes and to raise awareness of the Youth Council at
.

10. Youth Council Evaluation

The Youth Council has been in operation for just over a year now. The Youth Council’s bylaws state that an evaluation must be conducted after one year.

During the meeting, the following questions were answered:

1. Why did you join the youth council?
   To make a difference in Leudal. It’s fun to have a say.
   It’s also fun to be able to contribute ideas about the municipality.
   The youth council could also be a stepping stone into politics.
   I heard some friends were involved, and then I thought, “Maybe this is something
   for me, too.”
2. What do you like best about the youth council?
   That it’s also lighthearted—it doesn’t always have to be serious. It’s not the kind of standard meeting you’d expect. It’s more of a get-together than a formal meeting. There’s a good balance between serious/formal matters and having fun. That way, we don’t lose focus.
   That young people are asked what they think about certain issues.
3. What did you learn from the Youth Council?
   Through the debate course, we learned how to debate.
   You make new connections that you wouldn’t otherwise make.
   How the municipality works, including all policy areas, etc. We learned why some things take a little longer at the municipality.
   And that the municipality can’t always decide everything and doesn’t have control over everything that happens within the municipality.
   We learned, for example, about Synthese and how the “Buiten Beter” app works.
   How to speak to a different or new group.
4. What are some areas for improvement for the Youth Council?
   A more diverse target group: more girls, more young people from different social circles, and young people from other villages.
   It’s important that policymakers also receive the Youth Council’s recommendations. It’s good that these will be published on the website from now on.
   If you’d like to get involved, we should make the process more accessible. For example, you could first schedule a meeting with the municipal liaison or a member of the Youth Council before attending the meeting.
5. How do you feel the municipality is handling the recommendations from the Youth Council?
   It would be nice if, whenever a recommendation is made, the responsible portfolio holder provided feedback.
   The positive aspects of a recommendation should also be highlighted.
6. What do you think of the municipality’s and/or politicians’ involvement with the youth council?
   It’s great that the policy staff are enthusiastic and come by. It’s also nice that the Alderman stopped Alderman .
   It would be nice if the political parties showed more interest—for example, by coming to check it out sometime.
7. How clear are the Youth Council’s goals and responsibilities?
   Very clear: policymakers come here seeking advice, and we, as the Youth Council, come up with ideas on which we want to offer advice. Or people from outside the council come with an idea, proposal, or problem, and we’re allowed to give our advice on those matters.
8. Do you think the meetings are well-organized?
   The 2-hour duration is perfect, and the structure is good, too.
   The agenda is clear as well.
9. How do you feel about the atmosphere and communication within the youth council?
   Communication is great; we receive all meeting materials on time.
   The atmosphere among us is good. We’re not afraid to engage in discussions with others.
10. Are there any training sessions or workshops that you think would be useful for the youth council?
    The debate training was sufficient.

11. Cultural Platform

The municipality is exploring the possibility of launching an online cultural platform. On such a platform, cultural organizations can introduce themselves to one another and to the public. They can also share knowledge with one another and seek opportunities for collaboration.
The Youth Council is being asked whether they would find a cultural platform useful, whether they would use it, and what they would like to see on this platform:

• That artists can indicate that they want to perform somewhere to gain stage experience.
• Particularly useful for cultural organizations. It must be easily accessible to older adults.
• That there is information about grant applications.
• An events calendar is useful for both organizations and visitors.
• List of all clubs in Leudal, which you can sort by type of club. The information about each club also includes details on how and where to contact them.
• That musicians can find a place to start a band
• A link to where you can find more information about activities, such as a link to tickets. It should also include clear information about what the activity entails, where it takes place, what time it starts, etc.
• It's great to have a place that covers everything related to culture.
• That organizations can look for partnerships at
  . They wouldn't use it themselves, but they think it would be very useful for their target audience.

12. Annual Calendar

Pien will update the annual calendar. We'll review it at the next meeting to see if it's appropriate.

13. Dates of upcoming meetings

• August 18, 2026
• September 1
• September 29, 2026
• November 17, 2026

14 Questions?

It has been agreed that the minutes will be ready one week after the meeting. They will then be sent to the members via WhatsApp. After that, the members of the Youth Council will have two days to comment on the minutes. The minutes will then be published on the website.

Advice

As the Youth Council, we recommend that the municipality build a pump track within the municipality. In many ways, we believe this would be a positive step forward.

More opportunities to do outdoor activities

Children and young people are spending more and more time indoors, often on a phone, iPad, or PlayStation. We see this as a problem because it’s causing their health to decline. They’re getting less exercise, spending less time outdoors, and playing less with friends “in real life.” As a municipality, we can counter this trend by creating more opportunities that encourage children and young people to go outside. That’s why we think a pump track is a great idea. This facility can inspire children and young people to get outside. It’s an accessible activity that everyone can enjoy in their own way. That’s why we believe this is a worthwhile investment. In addition, it requires some physical effort and contributes to motor skill development—these are further benefits that a pump track offers.

Large target audience

Whether you’re 4 or 14, you can have a blast on a pump track. If you’ve just gotten your first mountain bike, scooter, or skateboard, you can test it out on the pump track, but even if you’re an experienced rider, you can hone your skills on this track. That’s why this investment is especially worthwhile: you’re not just investing for a small group of kids, but for a very large audience. Even as an adult, you could give it a try! That’s why a pump track also helps foster a sense of community in a village. You’ll run into more people who are doing the same thing as you. This helps create a stronger sense of community in the village.

Opportunities for Activities

If there’s a pump track, organizations like Synthese or KVW can also organize activities there. For example, this can make the program for a KVW week even more fun, but you could also take the after-school care group there for a visit. A pump track therefore makes it possible for schools, clubs, and other organizations to organize more activities.

Diversity

On a pump track, you can do more than just ride a bike—you can also ride a scooter, for example. That’s a key difference from a dirt track: you can’t ride a scooter on sand or grass, but you can on asphalt or concrete. Plus, you can always take a different route, so it won’t get boring anytime soon.

Additional Tips

Health that the pump track is built in a suitable location, such as near Molenhoek Sports Park or on the small field behind the Rabobank. In any case, it should be in a place where it won’t cause a nuisance to nearby residents. If there is natural social oversight (such as at Molenhoek Sports Park), that would, of course, be an added benefit.

It’s helpful if the pump track has two or more lanes. That way, riders of different skill levels each have their own options. If everyone has to ride on the same lane, it can lead to awkward situations, such as a 5-year-old holding up a whole line of riders. 

Benches or other types of seating along the pump track are also a smart idea. This helps prevent loitering on the pump track, since loiterers are more likely to sit on those benches or picnic tables. It also provides seating for parents, for example, who come to watch their children or keep an eye on them. The track shouldn’t be too small. Otherwise, there won’t be enough variety, and it will quickly become boring.

In conclusion

As the Youth Council, we came up with the idea for this recommendation after a number of visitors organized a petition in support of it. They have already spoken with the municipality themselves, and as the Youth Council, we want to support their idea with this recommendation. We fully agree that building a pump track is a good idea.