Meet the members of our Youth Development Team and find out what they do to support young people in the community.
Dudu supports the Youth Development Team to achieve positive outcomes for young people who live, study or have connections to Yarra Ranges. Dudu is a kind and funny person who is passionate about the voices of young people being included in Council’s decision-making processes.
Jayde Petrie (she/her), Youth Development Officer
Jayde coordinates our Youth Ambassadors and Youth Advisory Group (YAG), alongside our Engage! events that you may see popping up. She is a big advocate for youth voice within and outside of Council. Jayde really believes in the power young people hold. She is a passionate change-maker and is always up for a chat about how we can better co-design and champion youth spaces and input.
Sophie coordinates the Defrosted Events program, supporting young people to put on events, in their local communities. Sophie is passionate about co-design and community connection as a tool to empower young people and mobilise their voices. Sophie prides themselves on the great snacks they pick for Defrosted Events Committee Meetings and is a big fan of a funky icebreaker.
Daniel coordinates the TAC L2P program, matching eligible learner drivers with volunteer mentors and a practice vehicle to help them achieve their 120 hours of driving practice to get their licence. Daniel is a passionate road safety advocate, dedicated to improving access and connection for young people in the Yarra Ranges.
Ben is passionate about young people's education, rights and workplace safety. He is also our Health and Safety representative loves supporting young people to speak up for themselves and their rights.
The Key Life Stages Plan is a four year plan that is led by Council's Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The Key Life Stages Plan sets the direction for how Council supports the health and wellbeing of children, young people and older adults, and the families/carers of all of these age cohorts.
Download the Key Life Stages Plan
Our 2023 Youth Advisory Group (YAG) leads a major project of designing, delivering and evaluating a Youth Survey. This survey focused on the experiences of young people living, learning, working and playing in the Yarra Ranges. It identified the key issues young people were experiencing at the time.
This survey informs key policy at Council as a valued insight into a historically underrepresented population. The learnings from this survey have helped shape our newly developing Youth Plan.
Download the Youth Survey 2023
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