Council mentoring program resumes

IAN Tiley wants to see more young people in the Valley getting involved in local government, so he's come up with a plan.

The Clarence Valley councillor put forward a proposal to council that it start up the Youth Mentoring Program.

The program involves inviting local young people aged between 18 and 25 years to be mentored by a councillor and participate in most council activities.

Cr Tiley said a similar program was run while he was mayor of the former Maclean Shire Council in the 1990s.

He said while there wasn't a lot of applicants, one of the mentorees did go on to run for council.

“The program is designed to encourage young people who may have a desire to get into public service or politics,” he said.

“It shows them how decisions are made and the role of elected councillors.

“It also gives them an insight into how local government works and the role of staff and the wide variety of services that council delivers to the community.”

Cr Tiley said the mentoree would have an opportunity to comment on decisions made at council meetings, which would also provide an important insight into a young person's perspective.

“It's important to have engagement with young people. Mentorees are usually leaders of young people and it's important to engage them for that reason,” he said.

Clarence Valley mayor Richie Williamson said Cr Tiley's proposal provided a great opportunity for young people in the Clarence Valley to gain first-hand experience in the workings of local government.

Cr Williamson said that the council was looking forward to working with the successful young participants in the program, which would provide a development opportunity for the successful applicants and enable councillors to gain a youth perspective on issues.

The mentor program runs for a six-month period. Information about the program is available from council's website.