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Clutha District Youth Council report - August 2008 by Jake Faber, Tokomairiro High School As a member of the Youth Council I just want to share information with the community on what we discussed at the July Youth Council meeting. At last month’s meeting Claire Carr, Service Coordinator of South Otago Victim Support, gave us an informative presentation how Victim Support help people who are affected by crime and trauma. Claire and her 15 volunteer helpers are based at the Balclutha Police Station and if any person needs their help they can be contacted at 03 418 4717 or e-mail - south_otago@victimsupport.org.nz. Another item on our agenda was the North Balclutha Ex Forestry Block. We were considering options for the possibility of developing a walking track and subdivision of land into a mix of lifestyle and urban sections. No final decision has been established yet. Fellow Youth Councillor Byron Vollweiler gave us an insight on the opportunity he had as part of the Youth Everest Program. He traveled to Nepal with 22 other young New Zealanders and got the opportunity to see Mt. Everest and also experienced what the country had to offer. Byron informed us that the people of Nepal had a weird belief that if your house’s roof was not painted blue that the “Yeti” would come and eat you. We also had two of our Youth Councilors attend “The Aspiring Leaders Forum on Faith and Values” in Wellington from the 15th-18th May 2008. Brendan Morrison and Vicki Philip both gave us a short report on how inspiring this event was for them. Speakers they met at this event included Paul Holmes, Bill English, ex Mongrel Mob member Tuhoe Isaac just to mention a few of them. I enjoy attending these meetings because we get information and the opportunity to give input into what happens around the Clutha District. Clutha District Youth Council report - August 2008 by Sarah-Jane Edgar, Blue Mountain College So far Farryn and I have been to four Youth Council meetings. The Youth Council is a Standing Committee of the Clutha District Council. There are two representatives from the five high schools in the district, two youth from the workforce and two members of the Clutha District Council. At our meetings we have discussed things happening in the district like the liquor ban that is now in effect in Balclutha and Milton; for this topic we heard from the police in Balclutha and their point of view on having a liquor ban. We have heard from Victim Support and what their role is in the Clutha District, which is helping victims cope with incidents that have affected their lives. At many of our meetings we have been learning more about the waste management in the Clutha District, which may be changing soon. At the moment there is the wheelie-bin service which many homes use or else there is the rubbish dump that people use called Mt Cooee, near Balclutha, and skip transfer stations in several other communities. The way rubbish is treated in Clutha District may be changing to include recycling in the future. Farryn and I also had the opportunity earlier in the year to attend a West Otago Community Board meeting and then travel around West Otago and look at the water schemes in the area and other pieces of interest that the Board and Council is involved in. This opened my eyes more to what the Council does in West Otago. So far it has been a great experience and an eye-opener. While the formality of the meetings was a shock at first it has taught me a lot about the running of meetings and also about the district. Clutha District Youth Council report - August 2008 by Ben Sexton, South Otago High School Being part of the Youth Council has been a very fun and insightful experience for Charles and myself as it has opened our eyes a lot more to the development that is progressing amongst our proud Clutha Country. On the Youth Council we are presented with issues from around the Clutha District and with two representatives from each secondary school within the district we give our opinions and any ideas we have from our youth perspective. For example the Liquor Ban Bylaw that was brought forward by Constable Marty Bull. The Youth Council discussed whether the ban was the best option to rid Balclutha and Milton of the increasing damage and drunken behaviour happening recently, and also give ideas on how to identify the most problematic areas and the actions to take as to extending the Liquor Ban area. From the July meeting, a big topic presented was the North Balclutha Forestry Block that has recently been harvested and the Council is now looking at ways of utilising this area to the best benefit of the community. Some of the ideas we are looking at are an actual mountain biking area where a Balclutha mountain biking group could use the steep hills to their advantage and make their own track. Also walking tracks are a hot topic for the area with great views of Balclutha. The community’s involvement is vital to the development of this Forestry Block and without it, it is most likely the area will just be planted out to manage noxious plants. It would be a shame to see such a potential attraction for Balclutha go to waste. If you have any ideas for the Block or would like to get involved in its development let the Council know.
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Clutha District Council, PO Box 25, Balclutha |
