It’s a busy week in Gunnedah with not just Seniors Week, but also Youth Week.
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NSW Youth Week is from April 13-22, but Gunnedah Shire Council is running youth events over a two-week period to make sure local kids have a chance to be involved.
The council’s youth development officer Sewa Emojong said it was “important we provide the opportunity for schools to be involved by hosting events while school is still on”. The 2018 Youth Week theme is Unity through Diversity.
Gunnedah Youth Week kicked off on Monday at St Mary’s College with a social media awareness workshop run by headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation. The workshop was followed by a Youth Expo at Wolseley Park and the Civic, which was attended by Gunnedah High School, St Mary’s and GS Kidd Memorial School.
“It went well. I was really happy with the day’s proceedings,” Ms Emojong said.
“It was the first time we’ve hosted the expo outdoors; we decided to do it after our Gunnedah youth interagency members suggested it be an outdoor event.
“We had a lot of support. We had over 20 stall holders and workshop providers. There was a good diversity of stall holders and everyone got right into the day.”
Gunnedah Youth Council is heavily involved in Youth Week, with six members assisting at the expo.
“They played a major role in the day,” Ms Emojong said.
“They helped run the proceedings, so they were providing information to stall holders, making sure everyone had enough water and sunscreen. They were kind of the faces of the event, which was great to see.”
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Ms Emojong said the council consulted with both youth and service providers to come up with the Youth Week program and appreciated the help of local community organisations, such as Rotary.
The youth development officer said she hoped plenty of youth would turn out to the upcoming events.
On Thursday, a youth movie night will be held in the youth hall of Curlewis Community Church from 6pm.
This year, the program will encompass the Gunnedah Show, with Gunnedah Youth Council to set up a headquarters on Saturday to run Just Dance tournaments, promotions, giveaways and information stalls. The council will open from 10am-5pm in the North Power Shed, opposite the Griffiths Pavilion.
On Wednesday, April 18, a ‘Beats, Bass and Basketball’ event will be held in conjunction with Youth Homelessness Awareness Day and NSW Youth Week Hump Day, and will feature a live DJ, basketball competition and information stalls.
Flower-crowned performer, Goldheist, will headline at the Friday Fun Fest on April 20 at Kitchener Oval from 5pm-10pm. The event will also feature novelty sports competitions, bubble soccer, a canteen, more live music from Gunnedah Conservatorium, an outdoor movie and short film showcase.
Throughout the week, young people can also register for barista skills workshops, an excursion to Tamworth including laser tag and a visit to The Youthie, a Safer Driver Course, and a CPR Course.
The action-packed week will wrap up with a concert featuring Iron and Clay, in the Gunnedah Town Hall on April 21 from 7.30pm-9pm. Iron and Clay is a ministry/motivational band that travels across Australia to inspire and influence young people.
All Youth Week events are drug and alcohol free. For the full program, click here. To book, phone Gunnedah Shire Council on (02) 6740 2100.
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