Strong youth voice sought for Council next year

Rotorua District Council (RDC) is on the look-out for two diverse teams of young people to help build the community’s knowledge of the needs of the district’s youth.

The Rotorua Youth Voice 2015 project is a new innovation. It is a team of local 12 to 24 year olds who will be trained to engage with other young people on what they want for the future of Rotorua, and to then present their findings back to the council and community.

The project is part of the council’s Rotorua 2030 vision and supports a goal of providing a youth voice into future planning and activities in the Rotorua district.

District councillor and Rotorua Youth Voice 2015 project manager, Tania Tapsell, says the team will play an active role in ensuring young people are heard and represented throughout the community on issues that affect them.

"This project will see young locals trained and supported to make changes they want to see for the future of Rotorua. By empowering youth to have a say in their futures we can pave a pathway to future success together - tātau tātau."

Youth Voice members will have opportunities to attend community events, be involved in various working projects, sub-groups and training, will be exposed to project planning and event management, and will gain new skills and knowledge.

Rotorua Youth Voice 2015 meetings begin late January 2015, and will operate until mid-August. The team will comprise a maximum of 30 members from a broad representative cross-section of the local community.

Cr Tapsell said if local people knew of someone who is passionate about making a difference in their community they should encourage them to apply to join Youth Voice.

Meanwhile, applications for the 2015 Rotorua District Youth Council (RDYC) have also opened.

Rotorua District Youth Council is a team of 13 to 18 year olds who provide a youth perspective on council activities and other issues affecting young people.

The youth councillors play an active role in ensuring that the youth population is heard and represented.

Youth Council will meet every second Tuesday during the 2015 school year, as well as attend training from 13 to 15 February 2015.

To apply for roles on Rotorua Youth Voice 2015 and the 2015 Rotorua District Youth Council go to the RDC website rdc.govt.nz and click on ‘Youth Opportunity’.

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