Gunnedah Shire Council is asking the community to back local youth.
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The council has submitted an application for a Whites Rural Grant on behalf of the Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund and needs the shire’s residents to show their support by casting a vote.
The fund is listed among other entries, which are vying for up to $4000.
Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund gives a helping hand to a handful of local youth each year, with a presentation held in January before they head off to pursue further education.
The fund was set up by Gunnedah Shire Council in the early 2000’s in response to a report by the University of New England’s Professor Ingrid Moses, which found the region had the lowest number of people going on to further education. Since its inception more than $300,000 has been donated to students.
Gunnedah Shire Council’s youth development officer, Sewa Emojong said the fund was an important tool to assist our youth.
“Being in a rural town, there are many training opportunities that need to be undertaken outside of Gunnedah and many young people do leave Gunnedah and come back later,” she said.
“It is important that we help young people at that crucial time in their lives to help them get that education.”
Ms Emojong said gaining a grant would help take some pressure off the business community, which has been a key contributor to the fund.
“[The grant] would ensure that we can keep doing what we’re doing,” Ms Emojong said.
“The number of scholarships we can give out is dependent upon how much money we can save throughout the year. The grant has the potential to boost the number of scholarships we can give out.”
Applications for the scholarship fund are open until January 30 and donations are welcome. Contact the council on 6740 2100 for more information.
Voting for the grant is open until November 30. To back Gunnedah Community Scholarship Fund, vote online at https://www.wrcommunity.com.au/entries/nsw/498-help-rural-youth-pursue-tertiary-studies-gunnedah-nsw.html
Among the youth who can benefit from the fund are members of Gunnedah Youth Council (GYC) who recently won $1000 in a Pitch It competition. GYC heard about the competition at the 2017 NSW Youth Council Conference in Sydney in September and was inspired to pitch the concept of a water fountain in the CBD.
The youth wrote, filmed, edited and submitted a pitch video and placed second in the competition. The council has a year to use the funds towards the water fountain project or a similar project.
