By Ann Marie Angebrandt
A CHARTER designed to give young people a stronger voice in community decision-making will be launched across the West.
Now the challenge is on to make sure the document’s lofty principles are put it into practice, said Wyndham City Council mayor Shane Bourke.
“We don’t want to just pay lip service to this,” he said.
“We must challenge our youth to challenge us to uphold this.”
The Western Region Youth Charter identifies a range of values recognising young people as invaluable community members who deserve active involvement in council planning.
It was written by about a dozen teenagers from Wyndham, Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Moonee Valley, Melton and Maribyrnong over recent months.
Hoppers Crossing Secondary College school captain Peter Perperiadis said he is optimistic the document will make a difference.
As one of the authors of the charter, the year 12 student said he had given up weeks of his time to create the charter at a critical time in his school year.
“I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t think it would give young people more of a role,” he said.
Peter said recent surveys conducted among young people across the West showed many were dissatisfied with what local government provided for them.
“Now we have a voice and a way to make decisions,” he said.
While there are no specifics in the charter about practical mechanisms for youth participation, Cr Bourke said his door was always open.
“This will be driven by our staff at youth services and I have total confidence it will happen,” he said.
A skate park proposed next year for Presidents’ Park in Wyndham Vale was one recent example of young people having direct input, he said.
Brimbank mayor Natalie Suleyman said she strongly supported the principles of the charter and youth involvement in local government.
But she said she doubted teenagers could be expected to take an expanded role in council matters, including planning and policies, not directly relating to young people.
Cr Suleyman said a recent youth forum revealed that most young Brimbank residents did not know how to engage local government.
“I think the round table demonstrated that there needs to be extra communication with young people,” Cr Suleyman.
“One of the things they raised was providing a newsletter that was sent to all residents in the city, letting them know what was going on.”
Cr Suleyman will meet a group of around 15 students who will work on the newsletter.
“They felt strongly about this and have really taken ownership of it.”
Cr Suleyman said council’s youth advisory committee needed tinkering with to make it more effective.
“Timing was a major issue when I was chair of the committee.
“It a big commitment for young people to make it to meetings held at night when they have so much going on in their lives.”
