Janine Southwell of Terrigal and Lachlan Middlemiss of Umina Beach will represent the Central Coast as members of the 2023 Regional Youth Taskforce, providing operational advice to the NSW Government to advance the needs of young people in the regions.
Minister for Regional Youth Ben Franklin said 18 new young leaders from across regional had been selected from more than 140 applicants and include two young people from each of the state’s nine regions.
They will meet throughout the year to focus on the NSW Regional Youth Framework pillars: work readiness, wellbeing, connectivity and community, Franklin said.
“Throughout the year the taskforce will join me and senior representatives from Government and its agencies to have their say about services, programs and infrastructure that is important to them,” Franklin said.
“The Government knows there’s no better way to be informed on the issues that matter to young people in regional and rural NSW than to hear them directly from this 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 within the NSW Government.”
Lachlan Middlemiss, who attends St Philip’s Christian College in Gosford, said he had applied to join the taskforce because he wanted to advocate for issues important to the youth of the Central Coast.
“My biggest issue is mental health support – making sure it is accessible for everyone,” he said.
“I feel very strongly about inclusion and that the emotional and mental needs and issues of young people are met.
“I especially want to see changes around waiting times.
“I have head of some people having to wait three months for an appointment with headspace.
“A lot of young people are struggling with their mental health, especially in the wake of the COVID lockdowns.”
Lachlan also hopes to advocate more more career guidance for young people.
“A lot of people are concerned about this,” he said.
“In schools, there is not much guidance on what people should be doing to align with their career pathways and I’d like to see that change.”
For Janine Southwell, who attends Central Coast Grammar School, said she had a passion for youth advocacy.
“I do a lot of debating and public speaking and last year participated in the Youth Parliament program,” she said.
“I thought being on the Youth Taskforce would be a great opportunity.”
Like Lachlan, Janine believes mental health support is one of the largest issues affecting youth on the Central Coast.
“Regional and rural areas are having difficulties in assessing long-term mental health care, especially since COVID,” she said.
“I also think it is important to try to keep young people in regional areas by making sure they are not forgotten.
“A lot of people, when they finish school, move to Sydney or Newcastle.
“We need to work to keep them so regional areas can be developed.
“I am really excited for the opportunity to speak on behalf of my peers and regional youth in general.
“This is a unique opportunity to work alongside members of parliament who will actually listen to what we have to say about policies affecting young people.”
Franklin thanked the outgoing 2022 Regional Youth Taskforce for its input guiding major NSW Government policy decisions.
“Some of the 2022 Taskforce’s achievements include raising awareness of the need for more mental health support for regional young people, improving messaging to youth about the harms of vaping and inclusion and awareness for LGBTQIA+ young people living in the regions,” he said.
For more information on the Regional Youth Taskforce, visit: nsw.gov.au/RegionalYouthTaskforce.
Terry Collins
What a wonderful idea ,and such eloquent speakers with wonderful practical ideas Im sure only good can come from this .