I know there will be many parents balancing work and school holidays, and I am sending my best wishes to you all with the juggling of responsibilities.
Holidays can be tricky for parents to manage, so I hope families have been able to take advantage of the many school holiday programs and family-friendly events that have been going on in the region.
At council, we believe investing in our youth is essential as they are our future leaders.
And I am very pleased to say there are many exciting initiatives in council’s Youth Development space.
Our programs focus on empowering young people to be active and engaged members of their communities, to develop their self-confidence and to make positive contributions to society.
Since 2019, the City of Greater Geelong has had a Youth Council – a group of 12 young people aged between 12 and 17 who provide the official ‘youth voice’ for Geelong.
At our last council meeting, the City’s fifth Youth Council presented their first report.
Junior mayor Irene Mulillo and deputy junior mayor Aleena Eftikhari used the report to outline the group’s priorities for the year, which are:
Health and wellbeing
Healthy, safe and accessible communities
Diversity, equity and acceptance; and
Environment and sustainability education.
Working with our youth councillors and hearing their perspectives through our Councillor Connect Mentoring Program is one of the highlights of my year.
This year, I am delighted to be working with our junior youth councillors for the Bellarine, Maximilian Thompson (12), Kirrily McConachy (17) and Leyla Cefai (12).
Our youth councillors are highly focused and intent on making a better future for their peers, and I am very proud of all of them.
You can keep up to date with the 2023 Youth Council’s recommendations via our website geelongaustralia.com.au/youthcouncil
Youth awards
The annual Geelong Youth Awards took place recently at Geelong West Town Hall.
The awards celebrate and promote the incredible work, stories and achievements of the region’s youth aged between 12 and 25.
This year, 89 young people were nominated across ten categories in the areas of leadership, cultural awareness, community work, sport, arts, music, and youth development.
I would like to make mention of Bellarine local Lottie Hughes, who partnered with the Drysdale food bank to collect donations.
Concerned about the number of people struggling to feed themselves and their families during the lockdowns, Lottie rode her bike with a trailer attached to collect donations for delivery to the food bank.
Lottie also developed close relationships with elderly residents in the community who lived alone and looked forward to their visits.
Congratulations to Lottie and all our nominees – thank you all for your contributions to making the Greater Geelong region a better place for all.
You can find more information on the awards and the winners at geelongaustralia.com.au/youthawards
Youth on Board
Finally, another of the City’s youth development programs, Youth on Board, has been nominated for a local government award.
The LGPro Awards for Excellence promote and celebrate the outstanding work being delivered by individuals and teams working in Local Government in Victoria.
The Youth on Board program has been devised by the City’s Youth Development team with the aim of increasing the number of young people represented at the board level in our region.
This innovative program recruits young people aged between 18 and 25, train them in governance and board management and supports them to be placed on boards.
As our young people are the leaders of tomorrow, it’s vitally important that we have an authentic youth voice in the planning and decision-making of local organisations.
