Supporting and Growing Youth Councils in the Eastern Riverina

The project recognises that Youth Councils are an important mechanism by which young people can voice their concerns, issues and suggestions in relation to the provision of activities, facilities and services that cater for their needs.

It also recognises that establishing and maintaining successful Youth Councils can be a very challenging task. In many councils the role of mentoring a Youth Council falls to a staff member who already has other duties and the mentoring activity is an add-on. In many councils working with youth falls to a single staff member and when that single staff member leaves a replacement may be difficult to find.

The task of maintaining a Youth Council is made more difficult by what is normally a high turnover of members. Young people often join a Youth Council in their mid-teens and then if they leave town to pursue studies or work their involvement ceases. This means that the mentor is constantly “training” members.

The Project

REROC and the Department are concerned about the sustainability of Youth Councils. This project aims to increase the establishment and sustainability of Youth Councils through the delivery of three elements:

1. A Sustainability ToolKit for Youth Councils
2. The establishment of a Youth Services Network
3. Provisions of training and PD opportunities for Youth Council members and other people working with young people.