City’s youth leadership initiative nominated for state award

A YOUTH program run by the City of Greater Geelong to develop the region’s next generation of leaders has been nominated as a finalist for a state award.

The LGPro Awards for Excellence promote and celebrate the outstanding work being undertaken and delivered by individuals and teams working in the local government sector in Victoria.

This year’s awards span 11 award categories, with the city’s Youth on Board program entered in the Community Partnerships Initiative category.

Run by the city’s Youth Development Unit, Youth on Board is an innovative program encouraging young people to become board members of local organisations.

It recruits young people aged 18 to 25 years, trains them in governance and supports them to be placed on boards of management.

Along with a structured mentoring component, where the organisations provide a board member to mentor the young people in relevant components of board experience, the program also provides ongoing coaching, support and reflective practice to the young people and the organisations.

Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan applauded the program and said it had the potential to shape the future leaders of Geelong and beyond.

“Our young people are the consumers of tomorrow, so it’s vitally important that we have an authentic youth voice in the planning and decision making of local organisations,” he said.

“I congratulate the team providing this fantastic learning opportunity and wish them well as the program goes before the judges.”

Cr Jim Mason also praised Youth on Board and said young people engaging with local boards had several benefits.

“The young people are destined to learn a great deal about leadership and governance, while at the same time the organisations will benefit from having a young voice presenting a contemporary world view.

“Young people are naturally curious and will challenge the status quo, so the City’s 18-to-25-year-olds will assist groups across Greater Geelong to tailor their organisations to attract a wider scope of consumers.

“Our Youth Development team can be proud of their efforts in devising this program and a nomination of this kind is a great reflection on their efforts.”

The program will continue to train and support new young leaders until there is a significantly higher number of young people serving as full board members of local organisations.

Youth on Board strongly aligns with the recently released Victorian Youth Strategy, which is aiming for an increased number of young people on boards.

The Youth on Board Program contributes to a unified approach to the youth sector between state and local governments.

The winners of the LGPro Awards for Excellence will be announced at a celebratory dinner on May 25.