What is the Waimea Youth Council? The Waimea Youth Council is an amazing group of friendly young people (aged 12–24) who work together to ensure that young people in the Tasman District have their voices heard and to create more opportunities to benefit youth.

Commitments The Waimea Youth Council has meetings in the Council Chambers once every month for about 1.5–2 hours. Meetings are a way for Youth Council members to share ideas and work on current projects. Members are also generally required to do a few Youth Council tasks outside of meetings to help organise events and initiatives, e.g. sending and responding to emails, and approaching businesses and organisations. 

Youth Council Hui A few times a year there are Youth Council hui, which are cool opportunities to interact with other Youth Councils from around the region. There are four Youth Councils in the Tasman District: The Waimea Youth Council in Richmond, Motueka Youth Council, Golden Bay Youth Council, and Murchison Youth Council. One of our recent hui was held at Whenua Iti. 

Recent Projects Our main focus this year as a youth council has been Speak Up Festival. Speak Up was held last month at Washbourn Gardens and had a main focus of Mental Health Awareness. With live music, food trucks, and fun activities, Speak Up was a great chance for young people to socialise and have fun, while also raising money for Youthline.

How to Apply To join the Waimea Youth Council, you need to be between the ages of 12 and 24 and live in the Tasman District or have an interest in the Tasman Community. To apply, follow this link: https://www.tasmanyouthhub.co.nz/join and fill out the expression of interest form. 

By Bonnie Hughes