Young Mayors Hepburn
A democratically elected Youth Council for young people aged 11 to 17 years.
A democratically elected Youth Council for young people aged 11 to 17 years.
If you’re aged 11-17 and live, play, work, study in the Hepburn Shire Council region, nominate yourself to run for the Youth Council! Nominations open week commencing 8 April 2024, and close Sunday 19 May.
Candidates will campaign from early May until the election in mid June, with access to free campaigning workshops, marketing tutorials and more. Candidates will each get 10 free campaign t-shirts and $100 for campaign materials. A Meet the Candidate community forum will give candidates the chance to hear from and speak with constituents.
The Youth Council election is happening in mid June. Ballot boxes will be set up in high schools and community spaces across the Hepburn Shire region.
Young people aged 11-17 are eligible to vote.
The Youth Council will serve a 12 month term in office from July 2024 to July 2025. During this time they will deliver projects, campaigns and events based on a priority agenda developed together early in their term.
Event Launch
Nominations
Campaigning
Election
Induction
Term in Office
Nominations for the Hepburn Shire Youth Council are open to young people aged between 11 and 17 years of age (at the time of application) living in the Hepburn Shire Council region.
You do not need to be an Australian citizen to nominate yourself.
The Youth Council will decide their priorities based on issues identified by young people in Hepburn.
The projects run by youth councils and forums around the world have covered a range of issues, including:
During the Term in Office, the Youth Council will regularly consult with their constituents to make sure their work is meeting the needs of young people in the community. Consultation will happen in different ways, including a Community Forum during their Term in Office.
Australian citizens aged 18 and over are eligible to vote in local, state and federal elections, and can nominate themselves to run for election to represent their constituents at all levels (and we encourage you to consider it!)
If you’re over 18 and want to be involved in the Young Mayors program in other ways, get in touch!
We have paid opportunities available for young people to deliver presentations at schools, support other young people to nominate themselves, help coordinate Election Week, set up and manage voting centers, and count votes.
The Youth Council will meet once a fortnight. Meetings will be 1.5 to 2 hours on a weekday after school (day of the week to be confirmed).
If any Youth Council members can’t attend meetings because of transport, we’ll find a way to help – just let us know when you complete your nomination form.
As well as fortnightly meetings, the Youth Council may have the chance to go to Hepburn Shire Council meetings and other events, which will be decided as the Term in Office rolls out. They will also be encouraged to attend events in the community.
The program is completely free to participate in.
Youth Council members will be paid a quarterly stipend of $250 ($1000 across the Term in Office) to recognise that costs might come up as a part of being involved (eg. transport).
Food will be provided for meetings with all dietary requirements catered to.
Social media can be used for campaigns as freely available tools for promotion. Candidates can not run cash advertising on social media platforms.
The Candidate Code of Conduct and Rules for Engagement outline expectations including respectful interactions and reporting of inappropriate or harmful commentary.
A comprehensive set of child safeguarding policies underpin all of FYA’s work.
No. Elections will be run at schools, but the Young Mayors program is not part of the curriculum.
The Youth Council runs outside of school time, but it’s best to let your school know you’ll be getting involved either as a candidate, or as an elected Youth Council member. A letter to your school can be provided on request.
On occasion, Youth Council members may have the chance to get involved in activities that run during school hours, with advanced notice.
The Young Mayors program works with young people aged 11 to 17 years. We recognise this program puts young people in the public spotlight, and this can create vulnerabilities.
Risk management planning includes, but is not limited to specific actions and support available to keep young people safe, processes to report harm, and clarity on expectations young people can have of each other, partners involved and the general public.
FYA and our partners are required to have Working With Childrens’ Checks and adhere to a comprehensive set of safeguarding policies and legislative requirements. Both FYA Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Hepburn Shire Council Policies inform and underpin the program delivery.
During the nominations period, we’ll be coming to participating schools and community groups to tell you more about the Young Mayors program and how you can get involved.
In the meantime, if you have a question that hasn’t been answered here, get in touch with the Young Mayors Team for support on youngmayors@fya.org.au or book a time to chat here.