Young Mayors Mackay
A democratically elected council of young people aged 11-17 in the Mackay region.
A democratically elected council of young people aged 11-17 in the Mackay region.
The Mackay Youth Council were elected in May 2023 and are serving a 12 month term in office.
Together, the Youth Council are delivering projects, campaigns and events based on a priority agenda developed together early in their term.
The Youth Council are preparing their priority agenda, which will be published here soon.
If you have an issue you’d like the Mackay Youth Council to consider, contact savannah.vella@fya.org.au.
The Youth Council decide their priorities based on issues identified by young people in Mackay.
The projects run by youth councils 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 through a mid-term Town Hall Meeting.
Youth Council meet once a fortnight, alternating between in-person meetings at the Jubilee Centre, and online via zoom. Meetings are 1.5 to 2 hours on a weekday after school.
As well as fortnightly meetings, Youth Council may have the chance to go to MRC meetings and other events, which are decided as the Term in Office rolls out.
Youth Councillors are 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 is provided for meetings with all dietary requirements catered to.
The Youth Council have opportunities to meet with and provide recommendations to MRC Councillors and the Mayor throughout their Term in Office.
Young people running for election have access to workshops and mentoring to support their campaigns by Australia’s leading campaigners, journalists and civic leaders.
Candidates are given $100 to spend on campaign marketing materials and 10 t-shirts to design for their campaigns. To keep it equitable, candidates are not permitted to spend any other money or get in-kind support to advertise in their campaigns.
Once elected, the Youth Council do a thorough induction, have access to a constantly updated resource library, and are supported by a staff member based in the Council area.
Youth Councillors are 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).
Check out a locality map here.
The Mackay Youth Council are fulfilling their term in office, which ends in June 2024.
Nominations to run for election for the next term in office are now open!
There are two ways to nominate yourself:
Online submission. Link here.
Download and print a hardcopy form. Link here.
In the meantime, you can have your say on issues they cover by emailing savannah.vella@fya.org.au.
Nominations for the Mackay Youth Council are open to young people aged between 11 and 17 years of age (at the time of application) living in the Mackay Regional Council area. You do not need to be an Australian citizen to nominate yourself.
Nominations will reopen in April 2024.
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 program is completely free to participate in.
No. Elections will be run at schools, but the Young Mayors program is not part of the curriculum.
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 councillor. A letter to your school can be provided on request.
On occasion, Youth Councillors may have the chance to get involved in activities that run during school hours, with advanced notice.
The next election will be held over one week in August 2024. Across the week, ballot boxes will be set up in high schools across the Mackay region. Check back in July 2024 to find out if your school, or a library or community centre near you is involved.
Voting is optional preferential to replicate state and federal government voting systems.
Candidates are split into wards to make sure the Youth Council is representative of all parts of the region. Young people aged 11-17 (inclusive) are eligible to vote in their ward for the candidates running for election in that ward.
We are committed to this program being a safe, accessible opportunity for all young people.
All candidates are asked to sign a code of conduct when they nominate themselves to run for Youth Council.
Candidates are given campaign support by FYA, and are not allowed to use any personal funds or seek donations (cash or in-kind) for their campaigns. We want to make sure all young people, regardless of privilege, are on an equal playing field.
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.
Through the 1000 conversations consultation project, YOL1000, young people in Mackay told the Council they want to be part of decision-making in the community. It was suggested that a youth council be formed, beyond the Valley District Youth Council which supports young people in Pioneer Valley.
FYA came to Mackay in June 2022 to meet the Council, young people and community allies to talk about the Young Mayors Program, and then again in July 2022 to run a co-design session to shape the Young Mayors program with and for young people in Mackay.
The session was attended by 48 people, including 24 young people, the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, councillors, Council’s Acting CEO, council staff, Traditional Owners, YOL1000 backbone members, other community stakeholders and FYA staff including the CEO.
The session led to the development of the program, tailored to young people in Mackay.
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.
A well-being plan tailored to each community is developed at the beginning of the program, based on a thorough co-design process undertaken with each local government area.
The well-being plan 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.
We are working hard to make every part of the program as accessible to as many people as possible. This includes using wheelchair accessible venues, having the option to provide Auslan Interpreters for events, providing single and gender neutral bathrooms, creating social scripts and maintaining COVID safety.
We are committed to supporting all access requirements and welcome suggestions for any access needs not covered here. Please email Tahlia Azaria (she/her) at tahlia.azaria@fya.org.au or call FYA on (03) 7046 3837 to book a time to chat.
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.
If you’re aged 11-17* and live in the Mackay Regional Council region, nominate yourself to run for the Youth Council!
Nominations open 24 April 2024, and close 9 June 2024.
You do not need to be an Australian citizen to nominate. Young people both in and out of school are eligible to apply.
There are two ways to nominate yourself:
Online submission. Link here.
Download and print a hardcopy form. Link here.
*Note, if you are 11 you will need to be high-school age.
Candidates will campaign from 1 July until the election in mid August 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.
Polling booths are set up in high schools and community spaces across the Mackay region during the election week.
Young people aged 11-17 are eligible to vote.
The Youth Council will serve a 18 month term in office from September 2024 to May 2026. During this time they will deliver projects, campaigns and events based on a priority agenda developed together early in their term.
Nominations
Week commencing 24 April – 9 June
Campaigning
1 July – 19 August
Election
19 August – 23 August
Induction
September
Swearing in Ceremony
September
Term in Office
When the youth council meets
Regular Youth Council meetings are held once per fortnight and where possible hybrid (in-person with options to join online) meetings are offered. At the beginning of the Term in Office the youth council are asked to provide preferences for time and day, to determine the best time to meet. The schedule of meetings is also reviewed throughout the term in office.
Meetings are usually 1.5 hours and held in a central location.
Project-based (subcommittee) meetings which councillors opt into are additional and depend on the needs of the projects. It is up to the subcommittees to decide what day and how often these meetings occur.
How the youth council meets
Meetings are held in a central location. We also recognise that travel and internet availability can be challenging for some young people in Mackay and work with the youth council to find different ways for councillors to contribute meaningfully.
MS Teams is also used for youth council communications.
Commitment
Youth councillors are expected to commit to their roles for the period of the Term in Office, however we understand that how youth councillors contribute may vary throughout the term with other commitments such as school, work, sports etc.
The Young Mayors Mackay Team and the youth council work together to support all councillors to contribute meaningfully.
Youth councillors will also be encouraged to attend additional meetings with community, participation in events and some excursions.
Travel
Meetings are held at the Jubilee Centre at Mackay Regional Council. Public transport access can be viewed here. Transport to additional meetings and events is supported where possible. If transport is a barrier to participating, please let us know.
Food
Food is provided for meetings with all dietary requirements catered to.