Council calls for youth involvement
‘‘Interested in leadership opportunities or attending cool events around the country? Got ideas on how to make things better for youth in our district? Keen to be part of planning and making events happen for youth in our community? We need you!’’
This is the Rangitīkei District Council’s call to young people who are keen to get involved and contribute to their communities by becoming a Rangitīkei Youth Council councillor.
The Youth Council is recruiting for young people aged between 13 and 24 years to join their ranks in 2022.
RDC strategic advisor for youth Kelly Widdowson says representation is once again being sought from across the district for this formal group made up of young people who advise the district’s councillors and provide a valuable youth perspective on local issues.
‘‘We currently have one elected member on Youth Council from Taihape, Atawhai McDonnell, who has sat with us for 18 months. Hoping for more applications this year though. It is an opportunity for youth to work alongside councillors, local and central government, get more involved in solving local problems and actively engage in the community. Youth Council also opens opportunities to attend large events and festivals, join in fun adventurous team building activities and self discovery workshops, all the while creating positive change in our communities.’’
Becoming a councillor would be a great role for anyone keen to assist council to help young people thrive and contribute to the district. Applicants are asked, ‘‘what is one of the biggest challenges facing youth of the Rangitīkei and what do you think can be done to tackle this issue?’’
Successful candidates will need to be good at communication, not just verbally, but also email and ‘Whats App’ messages, along with maintaining youth committees/ networks to get wider youth input.
Youth councillors need to be open minded and keen to learn, have good time management, want to work with the community and be responsible for deliverables for youth such as leading the Youth Awards evening. If you’re keen, you’ll need to commit to meetings and a team building weekend at the start of the 2022 school term.
Applications are open until the end of January 2022.
❚ Anyone interested can apply online on the Rangitīkei Youth Council Facebook page or for more information contact Kelly Widdowson 027 715 8584.
‘‘Youth Council also opens opportunities to attend large events and festivals, join in fun adventurous team building activities and self discovery workshops, all the while creating positive change in our communities.’’ Rangitīkei District Council strategic advisor for youth, Kelly Widdowson.