ASouth East council has taken the bold step of creating a pathway for young people to directly influence its deliberations and benefit the wider community.

The average age of an elected member of Wattle Range Council is 64 and only three of its 12 councillors are under 60 years of age.

It now has put out the call for those aged between 12 and 24 who are interested in the wellbeing of their peers, youth events and activities, leadership and helping others in the community.

The council is calling for nominations from young, motivated and inspired community members to join its new Youth Advisory Council (YAC).

Commencing in Youth Week, the YAC will have a direct line to the decision makers in council and they will be listening.

“We want to hear about what is important to youth in our community,” Mayor Des Noll said.

“We want to ensure our council region is a contemporary and vibrant place for young people, because if it’s a great place to live and work, they will choose to make the Wattle Range region their home and raise their families here.”

The YAC will meet regularly and create a plan to address their priorities.

A small budget will be made available for activities or initiatives the YAC would like to implement.

Larger projects can be recommended to Wattle Range Council as part of its annual budget process.

Development services director Emma Clay said council will also be providing opportunities for training in areas such as public speaking, leadership and budgeting.

“It will be a two-way learning experience for everyone involved,” she said.

YAC activities will kick off at the beginning of Youth Week from March 25 with team building activities including a community scavenger hunt and a session at Noorla Yo Long at Rendelsham.

Other Youth Week activities in Wattle Range will include a DJ in the Millicent Library, disc golf in Beachport, a job interview preparation workshop, an anime mural and workshop in the library, a sports and fitness workshop and a youth round table dinner.