The 2025 Youth Council Advisory Committee has made a series of recommendations to Council that aim to improve the lives of young people in Greater Geelong.
Junior Mayor Ayush Singh presented the final report at last night's meeting and explained in detail their advice about cost-of-living pressures, health and wellbeing, youth engagement and public transport:
Vape and Smoke-Free Zone in central Geelong
Council is recommended to investigate the feasibility of establishing a designated vape and smoke-free zone in central Geelong, prioritising high-traffic public areas, to support public health, reinforce Council's commitment to harm prevention and enhance the city's atmosphere.
Public transport access and infrastructure
Youth Council recommends that the City undertake a review of bus stops and prioritise upgrades to lighting, shelters, bins, connecting footpaths and bike lanes to ensure young people feel safe and comfortable using public transport. Council is encouraged to advocate to the Victorian Government for young people to be engaged in the upcoming Geelong and Bellarine bus network review, including the need for increased bus frequency, reliability and route coverage.
Strengthening youth participation and voice
A review is recommended into how Council supports young people in the middle years of their development (10- to 12-year-olds) to identify service gaps, strengthen collaboration and invest in preventative and early intervention initiatives. Alternative digital and offline communication channels are suggested to reach young people who will be impacted by social media restrictions.
Youth-specific grants
The Youth Council recommends Council establishes a pilot youth-specific grants stream within its existing grants program, exclusively available to young people. The stream is proposed to recognise and respond to the impact of cost-of-living pressures on young people while fostering leadership, skill development and community engagement.
Conversations between the Youth Council members and councillors during mentoring sessions about the issues that impact young people in the region helped to shape the focus areas and recommendations.
Council has requested that the City consider the advice and provide an update to councillors by June 2026.The final report also covered the Youth Council's project to improve the City's youth webpages, involvement in the 2025 Geelong Youth Awards and citizenship ceremonies, presentations from the Australian Office for Youth and Cultura, and attendance at the Regional Student Voice Conference and Victorian Youth Strategy 2022–2027 Forum.
Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM
We thank the Youth Council members for their significant contributions and advocacy on behalf of the region's young people.Council found the mentoring sessions with these clever young people highly valuable in understanding and responding to the needs of younger residents.
From public health to transport and youth engagement, these young leaders have tackled complex issues with maturity and creativity.
We will deeply consider the Youth Council's thoughtful and practical recommendations which aim to strengthen youth participation and wellbeing.
Junior Mayor Ayush Singh
I am incredibly proud of everything the Youth Council has achieved together.As Junior Mayor, I've had the honour of chairing meetings and helping drive change alongside the Youth Council.
I've watched my peers grow, share bold ideas and come up with creative solutions I never would've imagined.
Being part of the Youth Council has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and it's sparked a deep passion in me for advocacy and community connection.
This journey has shown me the power and value of young voices and wherever life takes me next, I'll keep using mine to make a difference for my community and the future we share.
