Youth Wanganui is here to promote youth events, activities and opportunities for young people in Wanganui. It's been created by the Wanganui District Councils "Make It. Take It. Project" and the Youth Committee to connect young people with each other and the community.
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The Ministry of Youth Development funded the Make It. Take It. project for 3 years to help the Council set up a Youth Service - As well as employing a Youth Coordinator and doing alot of 'business work' behind the scenes Make It. Take It. ran or supported a lot of activities for young people e.g.. Underground Fashion Show, Raves, Aerosol Art Projects, Stepping Forward Youth Forum, etc.... The idea was for young people to create something for themselves - so it's something they like and they also learn new skills along the way. Many networks developed and this help ed the Council to know what's on the minds of youth, what they like, don't like, need and want and then the Council, supported by some great partnerships I.e. YMCA, UCOL, Police, DHB etc can help these needs be meet.
The Youth Service Coordinator now works right across Council and in the community to promote the interests of young people, our future leaders, following the same prinicples of the Make It. Take It. project of "youth creating for youth." This can include advocating and advising, developing projects with other partners and connecting young people to the big picture.
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The Youth Committee is made up of 18 young people, aged from 12 to 24 years, from the Wanganui District. They meet every 6 weeks in the Council Chambers to:
- Discuss certain issues and provide a youth opinion to Council and the Community
- Learn about Council decision making processes and how the Council works
- Advocate on behalf of other young people
- Work on projects that make Wanganui a better place for young people
The Youth Councillors also work in sub-committees (either made up of Youth Councillors or sometimes made up of community members of all ages) The sub-committees usually work on projects behind the scenes - it could be about anything from coordinating youth events, advising agencies on what young people need, supporting the development of projects that help young people into training and employment, or ensuing local facilities are kept cool for young people!
Recent success are: Picnic in the Park, Bus to the Big Day Out and the Skatepark Project at Kowhai Park. |
