Our Youth Councillors have continued to challenge themselves in serving our local community and leading Youth empowerment for the betterment of us all.

Councillor Mike Reid and I have had the pleasure of watching Youth Councillors take on these challenges with a high level of teamwork and dedication for their peers, Yass Valley Youth and our local community.

Behind our team, Community Development Manager Cathy Campbell has served for almost a decade to ensure its ongoing success has been assured.

To add to these successes, Youth Council is no stranger to the big screen!

Our involvement in supporting local events continues, with the use of the screen at the Yass Family Fun Day supporting Maya’s Rest.

It was also used for the screening of ‘The Jungle Book’ at a family evening held at the Murrumbateman Rec Grounds.

Youth Council continues to field the movie screen equipment to the benefit of our community and important causes, with Prue Bucknell, Finn Dunne, Sequoia Felizardo, Rachel and James Glassford and Xavier Makin demonstrating leadership in ensuring these continue to be a major success.

It has also been an opportunity to launch a major expansion of ‘Night in the Lane’, showcasing local Youth artists, into a multi-day event across three weekends across three towns and villages.

The much-welcome introduction of live- streaming to the event reached over 1,000 devices during the course of the initiative, and brought over a diversity of twenty acts to screens and audiences.

Without Youth Councillors Jess Keating, Caleb Fryar, Lizzy Veasey, Zeke Groom and Tim Wall, it could not have turned into the success story it became.

The role of the Youth Council is set to expand in 2018, with a Yass Valley Youth Action Plan to be developed, and the Youth Council is confirmed as the organiser working with local community groups to hold upcoming birthday celebrations for the establishment of our towns and villages.