Only one response to youth council
Timaru District young people have been slow to show interest in the establishment of a local youth council. Applications for the youth council close on September 25 and so far one nomination for one of the 12 spots had been received.
A public meeting was also held last week which no one attended.
Councillor Anthony Brien said he would love the young people to come on board.
‘‘I don’t want them to miss the opportunity’’
He said if they didn’t come on board then it would be hard to bring the idea back to council as it had failed in previous attempts. Brien brought up the idea of the youth council last year and it was approved by the Timaru District Council.
‘‘Council has made the opportunity, I would like to think they would uplift that opportunity.’’
The Timaru District was one of the only councils not to have a youth council, Brien said.
Although having a youth council was not the only way young people could interact with council he did not want to see them disadvantaged. Brien had been giving talks at different high schools and said there had been interest from the students but for some reason or another it had fallen off their radar. Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 can apply to be on the council. There are seven positions for a student from each of the seven Timaru District high schools, one for an Aoraki Polytechnic student and four positions for other young people in the community. A committee will select the first appointments. Following that the youth council will take control of the selection process.