Hastings Youth Council reflects on busy year of lobbying and events

The 2019 youth councillors at their final meeting for the year. Photo / Supplied

The Hastings youth council has had a successful year, from lobbying the Prime Minister to organising youth events.

The group of 15 have met throughout the year to provide a perspective on and discuss youth issues, plan events, and provide input to the Hastings District Council.

One major project the youth council undertook was lobbying to the Prime Minister to address mental health issues in young people. This included wanting more mental health support systems in Hastings and counselling in schools.

A youth council member also addressed concerns around the 1737 government-funded youth helpline at the meeting. The group thought addressing this issue was important because "there is often a 40-minute wait and youth can be told to 'hang in there and don't hang up'," said Youth Council chairwoman Kate Allen during their report at the last Hastings District Council meeting.

Allen said it was "rewarding" to address the Prime Minister to discuss her concerns during her visit to Hastings.

The youth council also organised youth events throughout the year such as youth week and a two-week "brain dump" event where the youth of Hastings could share their ideas and opinions about living in Hastings. The event attracted more than 150 young people with 350 opinions and ideas.

"We really put Hastings on the map as we had the most amount of events of anyone in the country," Allen said.

The youth council also raised the age of youth council applicants from 19 to 21 and had success with their Instagram and Facebook pages.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst congratulated the youth council on a successful year.

"They have worked hard to address some of the serious challenges facing our young people and I'm incredibly proud of the way they've worked together as a team to bring change to help address these issues," she said.