Wagga’s Youth Week will give the young people of the area opportunities to learn, interact and enjoy various activities. Picture: Wagga Youth/Facebook.
Wagga’s youth will have the opportunity to learn important life lessons such as the importance of superannuation, budgeting and applying for loans as a part of Wagga City Council’s weekly ‘Adulting’ classes.
Youth Week begins on 20 April and finishes on 30 April, however, classes begin a fortnight earlier on 6 April, starting with ‘Adulting 101 -Your Rights, Payslips and Super’.
The classes are some of the many activities targeted at adolescents throughout the month. Among the projects are podcast training, ‘dive in’ movies at the Oasis, self-help seminars and a busking competition.
Wagga Wagga City Council youth development officer Alexandra Osgood said the council had spent several months planning the schedule in order to provide a memorable and insightful experience for Wagga’s youth.
“Youth Week hasn’t been running in Wagga for a few years so we thought it was important to give something back to the community’s young people,” Ms Osgood said.
“We want to celebrate with Wagga’s young leaders because they are our today, tomorrow and our future. We were working from May to September last year, talking to people between the ages of 12 and 25 as well as schools, forums and special groups to understand the needs and wants of young people in the region.
WWCC’s Youth Week will be a great opportunity for young people in the Riverina to express their opinions and learn life lessons. Picture: Youth of Wagga/Facebook.
“Schools’ curriculums are packed, students have so much to learn that some experiences can get lost in the shuffle, so offering classes and workshops where people can learn to change car tyres and oil has been quite a popular prospect.”
From the consultation, Wagga Wagga City Council were able to identify several gaps in young people’s experiences in the city.
Some of the gaps brought to council’s attention include the lack of places for young musicians to perform, opportunities to learn more about adult responsibilities such as paying taxes, moving out of home and work-related rights, as well as furthering inclusion and mental health support.
“We received a bunch of great feedback in the lead up to organising Youth Week, one of the biggest calls was for greater opportunities for young musicians to perform and for young audiences to attend,” Ms Osgood said.
“Wagga has a quite a big community when it comes to music at pubs and clubs; we have a lot of fantastic local acts including a younger generation. Obviously, they are unable to perform in 18-plus venues, so it becomes difficult for them to put themselves out there.”
As part of Youth Week, WWCC will be running a busking competition for musos between the ages of 12 and 25. Spectators will be able to vote for their favourite performers and the winner of the competition will receive a cash prize.
“We want young people to invest in themselves and their passions – competitions like the ‘Busking Unlocked’ competition gives them the opportunity to do that.”
To learn more about Wagga’s Youth Week program click here.
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