The NSW Youth Advisory Council works with young people aged between 12 to 24 years residing in NSW. The Council aims to advocate positive, relevant change in NSW and the wider states that young people are passionate about, and meets between 6 to 8 times a year. The Council works directly with the departments of the NSW Government and dignitaries to promote and create change in New South Wales.
I applied for the Youth Advisory Council as I wanted to be a voice for young people living in a rural community, as well as being an advocate for our local farming families. I have seen first hand the effects of drought and other issues we face as a country town and I know that these would be overlooked by young people who haven’t been impacted by this directly.
Applications are sent in by over 1,000 young people with various backgrounds, diverse locations and life experiences, and compressed into a group of 12. The first stage requires a written application, which requires you to talk about your passions and your achievements, with around 150 people of these being accepted. For the second stage I was put into a small group of young people in my age group and we discussed issues and how we can possibly solve these. I’m not sure what the third stage is as it hasn’t been finalised, but I think it will be when the final 12 are chosen.
Sophie Field is one of our High School Captains and volunteered to be a part of the NSW Youth Advisory Council to further her education and to have a voice for local youth. Please keep Sophie in your prayers as she moves into the next stage of selections.