Media Release: West Tamar Youth Mayor for 2023

Tuesday, 6 December 2022

SUBJECT:

West Tamar Youth Mayor for 2023

FROM:

Mayor, Christina Holmdahl

DATE:

Tuesday 6th December 2022

The West Tamar Youth Mayor Program selects a student from year 7-9 to represent the youth of the West Tamar municipality for one year, providing a focus for their views to be heard by the West Tamar Council.

As 2022 Youth Mayor Elizabeth Sexton ends her term, West Tamar Council Mayor Christina Holmdahl is pleased to announce our 2023 Youth Mayor as Noah Hedger.

Noah, who will be in year 9 at Riverside High School during his 2023 term, is looking forward to serving his community.

“I am a very value driven person. I hold myself to a high standard and I am always looking for ways to improve myself. I believe that I will be a good influence on the young people in the West Tamar and also provide opportunities for other young men who would not ordinarily look toward leadership roles, to do so”, Noah Hedger said.

“I am constant, reliable and trustworthy. So young people can feel comfortable in approaching me with their voice - which I can pass onto council. I want to be influential in promoting the West Tamar Youth Strategy and improve life for young people by shaping a positive future for them.”

The West Tamar Youth Mayor’s role is to recognise the importance of helping better represent young people in the West Tamar, by speaking on behalf of their needs and identifying opportunities to effectively work towards empowering local young people. The role came about from the 2020-2022 West Tamar Youth Strategy, recently superseded by the 2023-2026 Strategy, which identifies developing formidable young people through public speaking training and mentoring, as one of its goals.

“We have always encouraged West Tamar youth to let us know what they want for our community, but the Youth Mayor role helps to streamline this communication by including young people in Council’s decision making process, providing a stronger youth voice in the local community and increasing their understanding of the roles and functions of Local Government,” Mayor Christina Holmdahl said.

“After two years and two inspiring Youth Mayors, I am looking forward to working with Noah and watching him flourish as he assists me in formal Council duties, as well as hearing his thoughts and suggestions on improving life for young people in the West Tamar.”

The 2023-2026 West Tamar Youth Strategy is available on the West Tamar Youth Website.