Youth Council presents second report

CITY of Greater Geelong Junior Mayor Ayush Singh has highlighted the many events, opportunities and meetings the 2025 Youth Council has taken part in over the past four months.

The Youth Council is made up of 11 young people aged between 12 and 17 who were elected to the city’s Youth Council Advisory Committee as the region’s official “youth voice”.

The Junior Mayor presented the Youth Council’s second report to the council at last week’s meeting, detailing the committee’s progress and achievements since their last report, including:

Active involvement in shaping and promoting the 2025 Geelong Youth Survey, which received 3,772 contributions and the biggest response from young people for a city-led engagement* Contributed feedback on a range of city strategies and projects including the Council Plan, Integrated Transport Plan, the Promoting CHANGE (Community Health and Nutrition Engagement) project, the Geelong Nature Festival, and Open Space, Public Realm, Public Art, and Community Health and Wellbeing strategies

Meaningful conversations with councillors through the Councillor Connect Mentoring Program Shadowed councillors at a Community Conversations event held at The Nest Youth Hub, and Learned about democratic processes in Victoria at a presentation from the Victorian Electoral Commission.

In previous years, the Youth Council gave advice and recommendations to the council in its mid-year reports.

This year, the advice will be incorporated into the final report to give members more time to develop a deeper understanding of the issues they are advising on.

Geelong mayor Stretch Kontelj congratulated the Youth Council for the impact its members had made.

“Our Youth Council members are really capable and represent the diverse perspectives of their peers across the region,” he said.

“Councillors enjoy sharing our learnings with them but also hearing from the horse’s mouth what is affecting young people in the Geelong region.”

Junior Mayor Singh said he thoroughly enjoyed his time on the Youth Council so far.

“I have the opportunity to speak with my fellow Youth Council members about issues prevalent in our community and influence real change to better improve the lives of youth in Greater Geelong.

“This has been an incredible chance for me to share what I feel affects people the most and to provide my own perspective on the decisions being made.

“These experiences have not only built my skills but also given me valuable experience that I will carry with me throughout my life.”