Young Mayors Cairns

Nominations
Week commencing 9 June to 21 July 2025

• Week commencing 9 June Youth Council nominations open
• 24 June | Young Mayors 101 
• 14 July | Champions info session (parents and guardians)
• Monday 21 July, midnight: nominations close
• Week commencing 28 July  | Final list of candidates confirmed

Campaigning phase
From 31 July

• 31 July | Welcome and kick-off session | City Library
• 4 August | Being an elected representative |  Online
• 7 August | Campaign Support | City Library
• 11 August | Campaigning 101 | Online
• 13 August | Campaign support | City Library 
• 21 August | Meet the Candidates Prep | City Library 
• 29 August | Meet the Candidates | Cairns Regional Council
• 1 September | Election week readiness for Champions | Online
• 3 September | Election week readiness for candidates | City Library 

Election
8 – 12 September 

• Monday 8 September 2025: Election begins
• Friday 12 September 2025: Election ends
• Saturday 13 September 2025: Vote count

Induction
October

Induction consists of youth council orientation sessions.
There are 2 sessions held on 2 Saturdays. Dates are TBA once youth councillors are elected.

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

Term in Office

• 1 February 2026 – 30 June 2027

Meetings
Most meetings are held during school term. 

There are 4 meetings per term. 

Priority Agenda meetings

In the first phase of the program, the youth council will be working on establishing their priority agenda. This means working together to identify the key issues facing young people, and the actions you can take to address them. All Youth Councillors need to contribute to these.

Once the Priority Agenda is set, the youth council will move to ordinary and project-based meetings.

Ordinary Youth Council Meetings (min. 2 per term)

Ordinary Youth Council meetings are held during school term. These are where Youth Councillors workshop ideas and make decisions, or consult on council plans. Meetings are 1.5 hours. When needed, we offer hybrid meetings (in-person with options to join online). All Youth Councillors are expected to contribute to Ordinary Meetings.

Project-based meetings (2 per term)

Youth Councillors will opt into specific project groups. Project group meeting times are used for project work as it is needed. All youth councillors are expected to contribute to a project group.

Holiday catch ups and project meetings

To support the youth council to continue their project work, additional meetings well be offered over during school holidays to offer an opportunity to complete tasks without the pressure of balancing Youth Council and school commitments.

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 Cairns and work with the youth council to find different ways for councillors to contribute meaningfully.

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 Cairns 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 Cairns 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.

Nominations for the Cairns Regional Council are open to young people aged between 13 and 17 years of age (at the time of application) living in the Cairns Regional Council local government area.

Why can’t over 18s run for Youth Council?

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 priorities are developed in response to the needs and dreams of young people in Cairns. You can view the current youth council Priority Agenda here.  The Priority Agenda is reviewed and developed at the beginning of each Term in Office.

During the Term in Office, the Youth Council will be expected and supported to 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 connecting with other youth advisory groups, speaking at schools and community events.

Projects run by youth councils and forums 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
• 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

The program is completely free to participate in.

Youth Council members will be paid a quarterly stipend of $250 ($2000 across the Term in Office) to recognise that costs might come up as a part of being involved (eg. transport).

Social media can be used for campaigns as freely available tools for promotion. Candidates cannot 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.

The Youth Council decide their priorities based on issues identified by young people in Cairns.

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.

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 CRC 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 may have opportunities to meet with and provide recommendations to CRC Councillors and the Mayor throughout their Term in Office.

Check out a locality map here.

No. Elections will be run at schools, in libraries and community locations, but the Young Mayors program is not part of the curriculum. Nominees do not need to be attending school to nominate.

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.

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 / Blue Cards 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 here or at youngmayors@fya.org.au.