YOUNG people across the region have a chance to share their voice on activities and projects to improve Mount Gambier in the development of the City of Mount Gambier Youth Engagement Strategy.
Launched at the Limestone Coast Rotary Careers Expo on Friday, the strategy entered the community consultation phase with hundreds of eager locals already having their say.
Nicknamed #MyMTG by the council’s youth advisory group “City Youth”, the strategy will guide council in the future delivery of programs and initiatives to develop Mount Gambier as a socially connected place where young people feel inspired, engaged and empowered.
City Youth member Sarah Harden said they do not want to assume they know what people want and for that reason are asking the youth of the city to fill out a short survey and provide council information on how they feel about their community and their future
“From what was recorded in the survey, young people are looking for additional things to do and are worried about job security and limited further study options in Mount Gambier,” she said.
The youth strategy is a key initiative of the Mount Gambier City Council Community Plan Futures Paper 2016-2020 and is the first of its kind in Mount Gambier.
Councillor Josh Lynagh said #MyMTG will create an exciting opportunity to highlight current strengths and weaknesses as a city for young people while also capturing the aspirations of the youth for the future.
“We don’t want to just impose things, they have great ideas and we want to know what their thoughts are,” he said.
“It is great to find out their likes and dislikes and give them an opportunity to put forward their own ideas – we want to target them directly.”
The strategy will inform council’s decision making process in areas affecting young people and assist in planning and the allocation of resources.
It will also help to identify new opportunities for council, young people and other stakeholder groups to work together
Over the coming months, the #MyMTG project team, consisting of council staff and members of City Youth, will be at a range of locations to continue to discuss youth issues with young people who live in or regularly visit Mount Gambier.
“These conversations will be critical in making sure the youth engagement strategy responds to the things that are deemed most important to our youth,” Cr Lynagh said.
Young people between the ages of 12 and 25 are encouraged to visit council’s Have Your Say page at www.HaveYourSayMountGambier.com.au to find out more about the strategy, complete the survey and share their feedback, thoughts and ideas.
Survey participants go in the draw to win a $100 Harvey Norman gift voucher.
