Young Mayors Horsham

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

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.

The Youth Council meet once a fortnight. 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 HRCC 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 HRCC Councillors and the Mayor throughout their Term in Office.

Horsham has had a Youth Council in place for the past few years. Consultation with existing members found that they wanted more involvement in decision-making, and to take a more active role in the community. 

FYA came to Horsham in November 2022 to meet the Council, young people and community allies to talk about the Young Mayors Program, and ran a co-design session to shape the Young Mayors program with and for young people in Horsham.

The session was attended by 29 people, including 20 young people, the Mayor, council staff, community stakeholders and FYA staff.

The session led to the development of the program, tailored to young people in Horsham.

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.