Jane Hutt and the 'Funky Dragon'

Welsh ministers have launched a new online attempt to engage children and young people in the policy making process.

The devolved government has backed the creation of a new website - www.funkydragon.org - which will canvass the views of young people on topical issues.

Funky Dragon comprises a council of representatives from local children and young people's forums, with council members providing Welsh representation on Britain's youth parliament.

Health minister Jane Hutt and education minister Jane Davidson pledged to continue listen to the views of young people, with bi-annual meetings to be held with representatives from Funky Dragon.

"Our support for Funky Dragon is based on the assembly government's commitment to making sure that children and young people can express their views and opinions widely," said Hutt.

"The opportunity to make real, practical choices and take responsibility is part of enabling our children and young people to become active citizens. I welcome this development and wish Funky Dragon every success in developing their programme of work in the future."

The website, designed and run by young people, provides up-to-date information on key issues as well as information on policy proposals, local government and health services in Wales.

Current issues being debated on the site include the introduction of identity cards and whether people between the ages of sixteen and eighteen should pay full price on public transport.

By registering, young people can also vote in online polls and contribute reports on local events.

The website launch coincided with the participation of new guidelines, "Breathing Fire into participation", which encourage young people across Wales to participate in decision-making at a national level.

Davidson said the new guidelines would provide "a solid basis on which to build effective participation", but warned young people not to expect too much.

"Putting these principles into practice will be a challenging task for all of us and there will be both frustration and success on the way to achieving these changes," she said.

The education minister added that she was committed to establishing school councils in all primary and secondary schools, helping to promote "a distinctive Welsh approach towards supporting young people".

"This ideal is firmly based in our belief in the importance of active citizenship, social inclusion and the involvement of our children and young people in activities in their communities and beyond," said Davidson.

"For participation to be successful we will need to adapt and build on the ways we have run our planning and consultation mechanisms in the past so that they can include our children and young people. We will also need to learn new skills and methods in doing so."