Oberon Youth Council is always looking for new members

The Youth Council is a group of 12 to 24 year-olds who are representatives for young people in the Oberon community. They act on behalf of all young people in the town and with council, they put on different events to raise money.

Youth Council mayor Annabel Burgess said a recent fundraiser they had was the OYC Summer Festival where councils and businesses held a store to promote themselves to the community.

"The money we raise goes towards other events as well as sponsoring young people in the Oberon community to achieve wonderful things. For example, Oberon Youth Council sponsored a young girl to play soccer in England," she said.

The OYC plans for this year are currently undecided. They will have their first meeting in February and from there will decide on their initiatives and what areas in the community for young people they would like to focus on.

"Personally, I'd love to have an environmental focus and see what young people can do to help," she said.

This year they've already held the highly anticipated OYC Summer Festival.

"In partnership with Little Athletics, we were able to raise over $140 and the day involved various games such as sponge throwing, archery and snakes and ladders. There was also a sausage sizzle, lucky door prize and a jumping castle to be enjoyed by all," she said.

Ms Burgess said the Youth Council currently consisted of 13 individuals led by the Youth Mayor and Youth Deputy Mayor.

"However, we are always open to having new members," she said.

"The Youth Council is a really easy way for young people have their voices heard. We encourage all young people to get involved to know what they can do to help with issues that directly affect young people.

"The Youth Council is also a really awesome way to meet like-minded young people and make new friends."

Recently, the group have just elected a new executive position - the Webmaster. Since 2021, they reinvigorated social media platforms and now have an Instagram and Facebook page.

"We have also designed a new banner for the Youth Council for promotion. Some events that we are particularly proud of are our annual How to Adult Workshops, Christmas Grotto and Christmas Movie Drive-in," she said.

Ms Burgess said the Youth Council would not exist without all the help from the Oberon Council and the representative councillors and for that, they thank them.

"We would also like to thank all local businesses, councils and individuals who have gotten involved with the Youth Council and encourage everyone to learn what they can do to support the young people of Oberon," she said.

The group meets up once every month at the Oberon Council Chambers.