New leaders for youth council

GREATER Bendigo’s youth council will be led by three fresh faces in the second half of its two-year term.

Victoria Tangey was elected youth mayor last week, alongside deputy youth mayors Ryan Peterson and Remus Brasier.

The youth council was established three years ago for people aged between 14 and 24 to advocate for their peers on Greater Bendigo council policies, plans, strategies and projects.

Youth Cr Tangey said she was honoured to step into the role and looked forward to the year ahead with a community minded and driven team.

“We are extremely proud of what we achieved in the first year of this youth council term and are keen to build on that achievement in 2022,” she said.

“A noteworthy outcome in 2021 was advocating for the inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community in the Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021-2025.

“This work has shown us the level of impact we can have on the community and advocacy will continue to be a key area of work for the youth council in 2022.

“This year we will broaden our engagement with youth around Greater Bendigo to ensure we are advocating for issues that are important to local young people and we are looking forward to providing input into City projects such as the Managed Growth Strategy and Draft Healthy Facilities Policy.

“We are making real contributions to community and strategies that will impact Greater Bendigo for years to come.”

Greater Bendigo mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the youth council had been a successful initiative so far, with members involved in more than 30 City projects and more than 10 advisory and steering committees.

“The youth council is an initiative to engage with local young people in the decision-making process for the future,” she said.

“The youth council will represent the views of young people on City plans and programs that impact them and advise the City’s mayor and councillors.”