Inspirational Youth of the North Burnett

On Monday I had the distinct pleasure to attend our first Youth Forum where student leaders from Gayndah, Mundubbera and Eidsvold met to discuss their needs, hopes and desires for their future in the North Burnett.

Firstly I just need to say, these kids are smart! Their insight and ideas left the adults in the room both amazed and delighted. They were able to articulate their ideas, share their concerns and do it all in a positive way. And they were brave, they had very little idea as to what they were putting their hands up for but they did it anyway. Many of them had never met each other yet this didn’t hold them back at all as they worked together without a hitch all day.

The thing though which I was most excited about was the way they cared about each other. They cared about what was happening in each of the towns and worked towards solutions for them all.

This meeting is part of council’s new focus on Youth. It is hoped that through this group (along with students from the three remaining towns who were unable to meet on this day) we give youth a voice and we start working with the youth to design a region they are proud to live, work and play in.

As I said upon opening the day, if there was one thing I’d like them to take away from the meeting it was this; each one of them is capable of making positive change, in their town, region, state, country or even the world if they are just are brave enough to want to.

Change only requires 3 simple steps: 1. Identify a problem/issue; 2. Come up with an idea as to how to fix or at least better this problem; and 3. Start.

Most of us are good at step one. Some of us are good at step two. But the real clincher, the real path to outcomes is step three, without it nothing happens.

This first meeting was about starting somewhere, anywhere; it doesn’t matter as long as we begin. I am so excited to see where this initiative takes us.