Youth Council
Youth Council 2009 were officially welcomed on 1 April 2009 in Council Chambers.
This is Blue Mountains Youth Council’s 6th year, and from Council’s perspective, the involvement of young people is very important – we need to understand how young people throughout the Blue Mountains feel about decisions we make that affect them. It is also a chance young people to educate Council, let us know what’s working, what your needs are and your dreams for this city, your home.
Some of the outstanding achievements of Blue Mountains Youth Council so far have been:
- Hosting a visit from the NSW Commissioner for Children and Young People, Gillian Calvert, and doing a formal consultation with the Commission on matters of youth health to inform NSW Health policy.
- Creation of a short film ‘I Can Do What You Can Do’ – concerning the achievements of Youth Councillor Anthony Fowler, premiered during Youth Week 2007.
- Presentating to Councillors on issues relating to the Glenbrook Skatepark Facility.
- Initiating the SmartStart University Scholarship, a partnership with Blue Mountains City Council and the University of Western Sydney which aims to improve access to University of Western Sydney for young residents of the Blue Mountains.
- Representation on a number of internal and external committees including: the NSW Commission for Children and Young People’s Advisory Committee, the NSW Youth Week Committee, the Blue Mountains World Heritage Advisory Committee and most recently the NSW Youth Parliament.
Council is committed to supporting young people’s involvement in decision-making, and strives towards creating a positive, healthy, inclusive environment in the Blue Mountains for our young people to grow and thrive.
Returning Youth Councillors:
- Kathleen Herbert
- Sarah Keszler
- Amy Downs-Tuck
- Ilana Sampson
- Toby Settree
- Elizabeth Smith
- Anthony Fowler
- Andrew Lockie
- Chris MacAlpine
New Youth Councillors:
- Caitlin McDougall
- Alexandra Somerville
- Kate Jackson
- Stephanie Garland
- Avril More
- Sophie Grimm
- Jayden Webster
- Sean Kelly
- Tarn Aebischer
- Matthew Higgs
- Domenic Grego
- Samantha Grego
- David Wasley
- Caley Bawden
- James Ray
For more information contact Council's Youth Services Development Officer on (02) 4780 5545.