With not just one, but two years of experience in Youth Council, Logan Chandler shares his thoughts and advice for young people thinking of putting their hand up for 2021.
A representative of the Windermere Ward, Logan’s biggest piece of advice is to use your voice to stand up for young people in the region.
For those who haven’t heard about Youth Council, are you able to briefly explain what’s involved?
Youth Council is a groovy group of 12 young people, aged from 12 to 17 years old. It is all about making sure the young people of Geelong are heard because we represent their voice – and keep Geelong lit.
How have you found your experience as a Youth Council member?
So much fun. Especially when we get to meet up in real life, it’s something I looked forward to every month. There is a lot going in Geelong so it’s a bit of a challenge to know everything, but it’s also great to gain some local education.
What has been a highlight of your time?
I really liked the presentation we had from Barwon Water in 2019. It was really fun and we got to converse with the adults – who were genuinely intrigued by what we had to say. They were interested in our perspective and were really curious. They thought we had a great view to share.
What’s been the biggest lesson from the experience?
I often reflect on how I facilitate voice, taking the voice of young people in the community to push it through Council and make sure it’s equally heard by everyone. Facilitating voice is a combination of listening and hearing. It’s about making sure you know what your area wants and sharing it. When you do this, you know you’re doing something right.
Is there anything you were surprised about in the role?
I was expecting a role that was a lot more formal. After the text for the first meeting of Youth Council, I was really nervous. I had this picture in my mind of a really formal meeting in a small space, but it has been pretty casual and everyone is super talkative.
What advice would you give to the 2021 members?
Continue to go for what you believe in. Just because you get told that it might not happen, continue to fight for it. Often when you’re young, your voice gets disregarded. That type of invalidation isn’t present in Youth Council, and we’ve worked really hard to make sure we stood up against this in the community.
Nominations for the 2021 Youth Council are open until Sunday 15 November 2020 and can be made via the nomination page.
