Two Central Coast high school students will join16 other young leaders of tomorrow in this year’s NSW Government Regional Youth Taskforce.
Tyson Purchase, 13, of Kariong and Willow Robinson, 16, of Green Point have been selected to join the taskforce, which is tasked with delivering positive outcomes for young people in rural and regional communities.
For Tyson, a Year 8 student at Kariong Mountains High school, indigenous issues will be very important.
Of indigenous heritage himself, Tyson would like to see changes in the school syllabus to provide a higher level of engagement for both indigenous and non-indigenous students.
“I’d like to see schoolwork made more interesting so students want to engage,” he said.
“I’m really excited to be on the taskforce – I think it’s good to have a forum to hear youth’s point of view instead of making assumptions.”
Willow, a Year 11 student at Gosford High School, hasn’t had a lot of experience in community activities but is part of a program called Max Potential, has been involved in sport and enjoys participating in the 5 Lands Walk.
“When I did the walk it was really good to be made more aware of my Aboriginal heritage,” she said.
“It was great to learn to appreciate the land we walk on and learn more of its history – it gave me a greater appreciation of country and my culture.
Willow said one of the big issues for him is substance abuse by young people, including drugs and alcohol but also things such as vaping.
“A lot of kids around my age aren’t very educated about the harm it’s doing – it’s a very serious issue.
“Drugs and alcohol are heavily talked about but there needs to be more focus on new substances.”
Minister for Regional Youth Ben Franklin said the members of the third Taskforce would provide policy and operational advice to the NSW Government to advance the needs of their peers in the bush.
“These excellent young leaders will play a valuable role in improving economic outcomes and quality of life of regional youth,” Franklin said.
The group, selected from more than 130 applicants, includes two young people from each of the State’s nine regions and will meet throughout the year to focus on the NSW Regional Youth framework pillars: work ready, wellbeing, connectivity and community.
“The first meeting will be held in Dubbo next month and will centre around what it means to be ‘work ready’ and how we can better engage regional youth to prepare them for different career paths and jobs of the future,” Franklin said.
“There’s no better way for the NSW Government to be informed on matters affecting young people living in regional and rural NSW than to hear directly from such an exceptional group of young people.
“In the role, our 18 new members will hone their skills in driving policy change, advocate for real outcomes for young people, and provide a voice for regional youth in the NSW Government.”
Franklin said some of the achievements of last year’s taskforce included initiating a Regional School Alumni Events Program, running an online event to give advice to young people interested in running for council, and creating positive social media videos to support other young people through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Terry Collins
Willow Robinson