Young Mayors Mackay

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: 

• Campaigns for mental health, LGBTIQ+ equality, poverty reduction, sustainability, safety and tourism
• Youth homelessness support projects
• Lowering the age of travel concessions
• New inclusive council programs for young people with disabilities
• Forums that bring young people together with local, state, and federal decision makers
• New sports competitions, music programs, and art exhibitions

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 May 2024. 

Nominations to run for election for the next term in office will open in May 2024.

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 early 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 May 2024. Across the week, ballot boxes will be set up in high schools across the Mackay region. Check back early in 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.

A comprehensive set of child safeguarding policies underpin all of FYA’s work. In addition, a well-being plan tailored to the program in Mackay is in place to ensure young people are using social media safely, with clear avenues for support should any incidents occur

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.

Nominations
Week commencing 24 April – 2 June

• Wednesday 24 April: Youth Council nominations open
• Date TBC: Young Mayors 101 (get to know the program). Both in-person and online sessions
• Sunday 2 June 5:00pm: Youth Council nominations close
• Friday 14 June: Final list of candidates confirmed

Campaigning
1 July – 19 August

• Monday 1 July: Campaign period begins
• Dates TBC: Online and in-person campaign workshops. Where possible workshops will be offered hybrid (online and in-person)
  • Candidates meet and greet / information session (in person)
  • Workshop: Introduction to Campaigning PT 1 (online)
  • Workshop: Introduction to Campaigning PT 2 (online)
  • Drop-in session: Campaign work and Meet the candidates event prep
• Week commencing 29 July: Meet the candidates community event
• Monday 19 August: Election week begins

Election
19 August – 23 August

• Monday 19 August 2024: Election begins
• Friday 23 August 2024: Election ends
• Saturday 24 August 2024: Vote count

Induction
September

• TBC: Induction consists of youth council orientation sessions. There are 2 sessions held on 2 Saturdays

Swearing in Ceremony
September

• TBA: The Swearing in Ceremony is a special event to formalise the elected council. Youth Councillors make an affirmation of their roles before the Mackay Regional Council, family, friends and community.

Term in Office

• September 2024 – May 2025