Dubbo's young people urged to engage more in community matters

Marty Jeffrey, 23, joined Dubbo Regional Council's Youth Council late last year because it provided a platform for him to come together with other young people and have a voice for things that affect them in the community.

"I think the platform is there - the youth council provides a vehicle for the youth of Dubbo to inform the Dubbo Council of opportunities and solutions to things that affect youth through the Dubbo region, so the engagement is now up to the youth of Dubbo to opt in to want to have voice for their community," Mr Jeffrey said.

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The youth council is made up of young adults aged 12-24 years and though the age range is represented, Mr Jeffrey said the team could "definitely have more" young people joining.

Mr Jeffrey, who completed university last year and now works in the Dubbo region, said in his experience, young people "can be seen as less important and less experienced" than older people.

This deterred young people from wanting to "stick their head out and have their say" because they didn't think older people would see them as "relevant".

"But my view is everyone's opinion is relevant and I think the diversity of our community is one of the strengths we've got - not only in our country, but in Dubbo," Mr Jeffrey said.

"That can be a barrier - you don't want to be that person who pops your head out and has a say because you don't want to be the person who puts your head [on the line].

"But the youth council as a platform, we come together and share our experiences ... we're all under the age of 24 and we share similar experiences and help each other and build each other's confidence to have a say and use the platform to our strengths."

He said the youth of Dubbo would become "the future leaders", and encouraged other young people to "have a say in the opportunities that will face them now and in the future".

When the Daily Liberal asked Charmaine Mara, Youth Development Officer for Dubbo Regional Council, if there was enough youth engagement in the community, she replied "not as much as we would like".

She said funding and a strong volunteer base to run existing and future programs were pivotal in convincing more youths to get involved.

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"We have some great services and youth workers in the community who are out there every day engaging. But we cannot reach everyone at the same time," Ms Mara said.

"This is why we are asking youth in our region to have a voice in the Youth Council, bring their issues to the Regional Youth Task Force and know that Council within my role as Youth Development Officer are working towards Youth Forums and Community Engagement events."

The Regional Youth Task Force focusses on four pillars to help young people in the community: work readiness, wellbeing, connectivity and community.

According to Ms Mara, changing attitudes, structures and behaviours, and emerging technologies all pose challenges to engaging with young people - but that isn't unique to Dubbo.

She said council was focussing on building-up the youth council "by encouraging young people to make independent decisions and to negotiate priorities of the communities through participation".

"Dubbo Regional Council aims to support every member of the community, including the youth of the Dubbo region," Ms Mara said.

There are a number of programs for young people in Dubbo including through Apollo House, Uniting, Mission Australia, Headspace and Marathon Health.

The Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre's Connecting Community Services operates a night patrol bus and a drop-in centre on Wingewarra Street.

There is also police-run initiatives through the PCYC, including Project Walwaay, launched in Dubbo in 2019 to support and assist local youth who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system.

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Project Walwaay is a referral pathway to the Indigenous Recruitment Our Way Delivery Program and has officers from Orana Mid-Western Police District engage with youth in the community.

It offers Friday fun nights at the PCYC that are reportedly attended by more than 200 kids each week to play basketball, touch football, gaming and gymnastics.

Walwaay also provides ongoing mentoring and support programs including with local Aboriginal Elders, and dedicated support for kids who have been charged with offences.

A NSW Police Spokesperson told the Daily Liberal the NSW Police Force's Youth Command, along with Orana Mid-Western Police District, are actively engaged in these programs, that involve both prevention and intervention strategies for young people who are at-risk of entering the criminal justice system.

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There are three Youth Engagement Officers (YEO) stationed in Dubbo who are responsible for delivering the NSW Police Force's youth programs and youth initiatives which focus on early intervention to prevent and disrupt crime.

"The YEO's work with the PCYC, schools and external service providers within the command to interact with and provide mentor opportunities to young people," the spokesperson said.

"Ultimately, the aim of the program is to steer them away from crime and build their engagement with education and employment opportunities within the community."