Sixteen Macarthur region young people have signed up to make a difference in the lives of their peers as part of the Youth Solutions Youth Advisory Group (YAG).
Youth Solutions welcomed its second group of youth volunteers for 2016 – 2017 last month, with the members already commencing training and planning community engagement activities.
YAG brings together young people with a passion for youth health and giving back to the community.
They play an important role in the planning, implementation and evaluation of Youth Solutions’ drug and alcohol prevention and health promotion programs in Macarthur and Wingecarribee.
YAG members will particularly be involved in the delivery of health promotion activities to their peers and will also lead the #whyichoose campaign, which will be launched soon, addressing the issues of tobacco smoking.
Youth Solutions chief executive officer Geraldine Dean says she’s impressed by the calibre of the newest YAG members.
“On behalf of everyone at Youth Solutions we’d like to welcome our new Youth Advisory Group members and say welcome back to those returning for a further six months,” Mrs Dean said.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have such a diverse, passionate and hardworking group of young people to help drive us forward towards our vision of improving the health, wellbeing and resilience of young people in the Macarthur and Wingecarribee communities.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“The YAG are at the heart and soul of what Youth Solutions is all about; equipping young people with the skills and knowledge to make safer choices, to prevent them from drug and alcohol related harm and improve their overall health and wellbeing.”[/social_quote]
In January 2017, the Youth Solutions Youth Advisory Group received the Camden Council Australia Day Award for community group of the year.
The current YAG members come from a variety of backgrounds, with members that are currently in high school, studying at university or TAFE or are engaged in full-time work.
They are: Amy Hocking, Blaine Horne, Cameron Snell, Ebony Boothe, Jessica Brown, Joel Escarate Joya, Johnny Nguyen, Kassee Payne, Khalid Almalki, Laura Dwyer, Mitchell Davis, Praween Senanayake, Rachel Scott, Rhiannon Berki, Riordan Anderson and Samantha McAuley.
♦ Youth Solutions is a health promotion and youth drug and alcohol prevention charity. For more information about Youth Solutions, or for drug and alcohol education, information, referral, or the current activities of Youth Solutions phone 4628 2319, or email info@youthsolutions.com.au or visit the website here.
