Council
24 May, 2024
Councils collaborate to empower youth
MOYNE Shire and Warrnambool City Council are collaborating to empower and engage local young people.
This collaborative effort aims to develop a new Youth Strategy for the region.
Young people aged from 16-25 years are invited to express their interest in being on the Youth Strategy Co-Design Panel.
The Youth Strategy will serve as a blueprint for enhancing youth involvement, services and opportunities throughout the region.
By working together, the two councils aim to create a strategy that reflects the voices and needs of young people.
“We believe that involving young people in decision-making processes is crucial for building a brighter future for our communities,” Moyne Shire mayor Cr Ian Smith said.
“This collaboration with Warrnambool City Council underscores our commitment to empowering youth and ensuring their voices are heard,” said Cr Smith.
The Youth Strategy Co-Design Panel also creates an opportunity to nurture a new generation of leaders to help bring the Moyne 2040 Community Vision to fruition.
Input from young people will be invaluable in creating initiatives that address their unique needs and aspirations.
“We’re embarking on the biggest, most comprehensive youth strategy we’ve ever done, and that’s why it’s really important that we work with our region’s young people to put this strategy together, as well as to deliver it,” Warrnambool City Council mayor Cr Ben Blain said.
“We want to hear from lots of different voices to help make this the best strategy it can be.
“A youth strategy should be led by the young people it aims to support, and we want to work together to give them the power to mould it in the way that they think will provide the most benefit.”
Cr Blain believes the region’s young people are the community’s most valuable resource.
The aim of this strategy is to provide more of the opportunities that they want to get involved in, but also give them the freedom to shape their own future and the future of Warrnambool and Moyne.
Research conducted for the Moyne Youth Plan 2020-2022 revealed that 55 per cent of young people want more opportunities to be involved in council decision-making.
The research also found that young people want to be heard and understood and want their thoughts, ideas, perspectives, and experiences to influence decision-making and inspire change.
Young people also want to be acknowledged as valuable citizens who are engaged and making a positive contribution to improve themselves and their community.
Panel members will participate in five independently-facilitated workshops (up to 15 hours) between June and November, and will be paid for their time and contribution.
Young people need to register their interest by June 9 at the Youth Strategy Co-Design Panel webpage: www.moyne.vic.gov.au/Our-Community/Youth/Youth-Strategy-Co-Design-Panel.
