Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council 2024 Update
Published on 23 July 2024
The 2024 Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council has been very productive and continues to busily plan upcoming projects for the remainder of the year. The Youth Council meets monthly at the Jeparit Hall with a different Youth Councillor taking on the role as the Chairperson each meeting. The following are some of the Youth Council’s major achievements in the first half of 2024.
Youth Council Retreat:
The 2024 Youth Council Retreat was held in Dimboola from Friday 9 February to Sunday 11 February at the Dimboola Library / Customer Service Centre. Youth Councillors were presented with their Youth Council certificates and badges on Friday evening prior to beginning their retreat with Bonnie from the Youth Leadership Academy Australia (YLAA). The retreat provided Youth Councillors with directions for what the next year will be like working as a team and provided opportunities for them to raise ideas and suggestions around what they want to achieve.
Youth Council Disco:
Youth Councillors organised and held the first disco of the year at the Dimboola Memorial Secondary College Assembly Hall on Friday 31 May 2024. The 90’s themed disco was an outstanding success with approximately 120 young people attending from across the Shire. From food to decorations, as well as providing support to Council staff on the night, Youth Councillors were proud of everything they prepared and achieved for the night. They gained leadership and teamwork skills through the preparation for the delivery of the event.
Youth Councilors received great feedback on the night with a young person attending the disco commenting, “it’s great that you hold these events”.
After every Youth Council event, the Youth Officer and Youth Council review what worked well and what didn’t – this provides direction on what they can do to improve future events.
Podcast:
The Youth Council podcast series will cover various topics relating to young people’s mental health. Youth Councillors have recently successfully recorded another two episodes of podcast, “How to cope with Bullying” and “What to do when your friend is not okay” with Alisha from Headspace Horsham as the guest speaker.
Lindsay from Headspace Horsham also created a video on tips and tricks on hosting the Podcast, with Youth Councillors taking his knowledge on board as they continue to plan and record episodes. Lindsay not only works in the mental health space but has also hosted Podcast of his own called “The Man Cave”.
Youth Councillors are aiming to finish their Mental Health Podcast series by the end of 2024 when all 12 episodes are completed. Following the recording of episode six, they will go live on platforms such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
I SPY:
‘I Spy’ was an idea that one of the current Youth Councillors originally came up with several years ago, with the 2024 Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council now taking on this project as their own. The aim of the ‘I Spy’ project is to create an informative and entertaining brochure to put in the Hindmarsh Shire Council’s Customer Service Centres, Libraries and Visitor Information Centres for locals and visitors. The brochure will consist of a series of cropped images of the main attractions of the town for people to find. All attractions will be within walking distance of the town’s main center.
Youth Councillors are passionate about their community and support their peers, often volunteering their time to attend events and functions within the community. This includes -
- Laying wreaths with Hindmarsh Shire Councillors on Anzac Day.
- Creating a video about “Belonging” to show their support for Harmony Day.
- Dressing up to help spread awareness for ‘Do it for Dolly Day’.
We can’t wait for the projects and events that the Youth Council has planned for the next half of 2024!
For more information, please contact Phil King, Manager Community Wellbeing on 03 5391 4444, or by email at pking@hindmarsh.vic.gov.au.
Monica Revell
Chief Executive Officer