A new Youth Think Tank will give Inverell’s youth a greater opportunity to voice their concerns and hopes for their community.
Coordinated by Ladybug Projects, the Think Tank is funded by the NSW Government and aims to allow local youth to engage with their peers to plan and deliver activities for young people aged 24 and under.
14 young people between the ages of 12 and 24 applied to participate in the project, and four people have now been selected to run the Think Tank in its first year.
“We’ve ended up with a really great range of varied backgrounds.” Fiona Adams, director of Ladybug Projects, said.
“Rohan Cowley is our eldest member; he’s 24 and is a teacher in Ashford. He has Indigenous heritage and has also done a lot of youth ambassador work in the past.”
“Then we have Daniel Bernard, a student at Holy Trinity, as our youngest member at 14 years old. Savannah Maybury and Hollie Purvis are both 15, and they’re from Macintyre High School.”
“They all had really unique takes on how they answered the questions in their application from the broad spectrum of their hobbies, right the way through to the things they wanted to change in our community.”
The Think Tank will meet quarterly, and the selected participants will be paid a sitting fee of $60 per meeting.
“We wanted them to approach this like a job – this is really their project. We’re just here to support and guide them, but they’re the leaders; they have genuine ownership of what they make of this,” said Ms Adams.
Today, a media release from Ladybug Projects reported that their first meeting was a great success. The selected representatives have already begun conducting research among their peers to find out what kinds of activities the youth would most like to see.
Some of the most popular responses included:
- Live music events featuring youth artists
- Low impact recreation
- Carp Muster
- Underwater hockey
- Interschool challenges
- Free trials for gyms and sports clubs
- University preparation workshops
The Think Tank is coordinated by Christy Galbraith from Ladybug Projects.
“We are excited to see these young leaders working to bring fresh and creative ideas to life,” she said.
“The feedback from schools in Inverell and Ashford shows a strong desire for more engaging opportunities, and the Youth Think Tank is the perfect platform for delivering these activities.”
The current committee will be in place for 12 months, and applications to participate in the project in 2026 will be open later this year.
For more information about the Youth Think Tank and any events or initiatives that they roll out over the coming months, contact Ladybug Projects via info@ladybugprojects.com.au or visit the Ladybug Projects Facebook page.