Mildura's 2019 Youth Parliament Team will take its push to improve mental health outcomes for young people in our region to the highest levels of the Victorian Government later this year.
The six young men and women who will speak up for our region as part of this year's program are Brady Glen, Eliza Bessell, Josh May, Taurie Bishop and returning members Jack Smith and Georgia Leutner.
The YMCA Victoria Youth Parliament Program is designed to give young Victorians a chance to be heard at the highest levels of State Government on a wide range of issues relevant to young people.
As part of the program, teams develop Bills which they'll debate in the Victorian Parliament over three days in July this year.
The theme for the Mildura team's Bill is Improve the Effectiveness and Access of Mental Health Services in Rural Areas Focusing on Rural Mental Health Workforce Initiatives.
It will be the culmination of several months' work and personal development, which will include training in public speaking and leadership at residential camps from this weekend.
Team members will also spend at least five hours each week working on their Bill and speech-writing ahead of their debate in Parliament.
Councillor for Community Wellbeing and Services Min Poole congratulated this year's nominees.
"This year's nominations were outstanding both in quality and quantity," Cr Poole said.
"Due to the strong response to our call for nominations for this year's Mildura Youth Parliament Team, we had a difficult task deciding on the final team members after interviewing each nominee.
"I'm sure our team will do a fantastic job representing our region, and our municipality's interests, as they embark on this year's program."
The Mildura Youth Parliament Team is funded by Council and the YMCA.
