Council to host Wingecarribee Youth Forum
Issues affecting the Shire’s youth will take centre stage at this year’s Wingecarribee Youth Forum to be held on Thursday 1 November at the Mittagong RSL Club.
Wingecarribee Shire Council’s Youth Liaison Officer Michelle Williams explained the concept of the forum.
“As adults it’s easy to get caught up in our everyday lives and dismiss childhood and teenage years as carefree,” she said. “But this isn’t necessarily the reality for many young adults and this forum allows them to tell us about the issues affecting them.”
Key issues to be discussed at the forum include education and employment concerns, health and wellbeing and environmental issues.
Ms Williams said the event would be reflective of the Five Ways to Wellbeing mental and emotional health program.
“The idea of the day is to have open and frank conversations with our Shire’s youth and talk about the issues that they’re confronted with every day,” Ms Williams said.
“Based on the feedback we receive we’ll update our Youth Strategy and together with our schools and service providers organise a list of achievable actions that we can all work towards.”
The forum will also feature group workshops, access and information from local service providers.
“Importantly, the forum’s agenda and discussion points have been chosen by our Shire’s youth and they’ll be given the chance to lead discussions,” Michelle added.
“It’s a great opportunity for our Shire’s youth to tell us what matters to them and how we can help improve services and support.”
The 2018 Wingecarribee Youth Forum will be held on Thursday 1 November from 9.30am to 3.00pm at the Mittagong RSL Club and is open to young persons aged 12 to 24 year olds.
Entry is free with lunch and morning tea provided free of charge. Pre-registration is essential.
Staff from local youth service providers and school representatives will also be on hand at the forum.
The Wingecarribee Youth Forum is hosted by Wingecarribee Shire Council and is proudly supported by the Forum Working Group’s partners including Argyle Community Housing, Essential Employment and Training, Barnados Australia, Uniting, Sector Connect, Youth Solutions, St Vincent de Paul Society and the Mittagong RSL Club.
For more information, including enquiries from service providers, contact Council’s Youth Liaison Officer at Michelle.Williams@wsc.nsw.gov.au or phone 4868 0859.