Youth Council Retreat 2020 Lunch Invitation with Youth Council
Published on 24 February 2020
Over the weekend of 14-16 February the 2020 Hindmarsh Shire Youth Councillors gathered at the Riverside Holiday Park, Dimboola to participate in their annual leadership retreat. Supported by FreeZA, the retreat puts the young Councillors through an intensive weekend led by youth education specialists YLead, helping them develop their skills in various areas. Some of the topics covered included leadership development, creative problem solving, positive communication and how to put their goals and ideas into action.
A welcome dinner was held on the Friday evening, providing the opportunity for the new Councillors and their families to meet and mingle. After the dinner, families bid farewell to the Youth Councillors, who then commenced their training with YLead.
“We had a lot of fun, got to know each other better and learned a lot about each other and ourselves. There was a lot of confidence building and I feel that we all gained something from the weekend” said Trinity Cannell, Nhill Youth Councillor.
Across the three days retreat the Youth Councillors learnt how to:
- Communicate in creative ways and listen to other’s ideas and opinions
- Engage in group problem-solving scenarios though collaborating in creative ways
- Encourage participants to reflect on their personal strengths and gain confidence in their ability to lead Explore the importance of setting goals and identify the keys to achieving them and take responsibility for their own choices and actions
The retreat provides the Youth Councillors with the foundation to work together as a team and an opportunity to build on their individual strengths to organize activities or events for their respective towns and the Hindmarsh Shire.
Wimmera Fest Horsham and Hindmarsh Youth
Over the past weekend Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council had the opportunity to mix with other young leaders from the Wimmera when they accepted an invitation to attend a meeting with Horsham’s newly formed Youth Council at their Youth Centre.
The young Councillors were excited to share ideas with youth from other areas and start planning for possible future collaborations. “It is awesome to be able to visit Horsham Youth Council and share ideas. I think that it is very important to have activities outside our area because this is helping us to learn from each other and also it is fun to meet other people and plan events together!” commented Clarissa Bigham, a Rainbow representative on Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council.
The first partner event is only weeks away with Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council joining Wimmera Fest to celebrate National Youth Week on 5 April in Horsham. This festival will feature a range of activities including a talent show, photo booth, pop-up beauty salon, temporary tattooist, music and food.
Young people who are interested in becoming involved can do so by contacting one of their local Youth Councillors at school, visiting the Youth Council Events section of the Hindmarsh Shire Council web page or via the Youth Council Facebook post.
For further information please contact Gaby Castro, Community Development Officer, on 03 5391 4444 or email gcastro@hindmarsh.vic.gov.au.
In collaboration with Trinity Cannell
2020 Nhill Youth Councillor