A group of 20 young people inducted as the first Horsham Youth Council will become the voice of their peers as they help guide future council policies and decisions.

Horsham Rural City Council Youth Council comprises young people from the municipality aged 11 to 21.

Horsham mayor Mark Radford said the new Horsham Rural City Council Youth Council would provide an opportunity for young people to have a voice in the community and create a learning experience that would be useful in years to come.

“The views of the Youth Council will help guide decisions for precincts and infrastructure that affect them, and their peers, now and into the future,” he said.

Cr Radford said chairperson and minute taker roles would be undertaken on a rotational basis.

He said nominating members for roles in each meeting would allow for skill development and participation of all members.

Horsham College’s Lily Materne, 18, said she applied to join the Youth Council for many reasons.

“I applied because I want to be involved in the community and be part of future decisions that will affect youth, especially to make sure we have strategies and changes that will have a positive effect on generations to come,” she said.

Cr Radford said the Youth Council would have its next meeting in September to evaluate what is important to young people in the municipality and determine a program of delivery for the next two years.

Horsham Rural City youth councillors are: Shivansh Bhutani, 11, Ss Michael and John’s Primary School; Tyra King, 12, Horsham College; Shanese Brown, 12, St Brigid’s College; Malachy O’Brien, 12, Horsham College; Scarlett Munday-Terry, 13, St Brigid’s College; Armani Scollary, 13, Holy Trinity Lutheran College; Montana Crane, 13, Horsham College; Althea Jai Fernando Tudias, 13, Horsham College; Daisy Sudholz, 13, St Brigid’s College; Bethany Arnup, 14, St Brigid’s College; Sophie McNeil, 14, Horsham College; Paris Fiedler, 15, Horsham College; Michael Collins-Clarke, 15, Murtoa College; Lucas Scott, 16, Horsham College; Isabelle Oman, 16, Horsham College; Miranda Rose, 18, Longerenong College; Melanie Koop, 18, Skillinvest-Horsham Town Hall; Lily Materne, 18, Horsham College; Brylee Taylor, 19, Federation University; and Zack Currie, 21, Australian Wool Network, Horsham Branch.

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