A nifty engagement activity ensured high school students left the 5th annual Youth Expo on Tuesday with information on post-school options and services they may need now.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
To ensure students were speaking to stallholders rather than simply grabbing all of the free stuff available, organisers created a competition to win an Xbox One.
Read also:
Gunnedah Shire Council's youth development officer Sewa Emojong said it was important for students to take information home, too.
"We're getting everyone to go to each stallholder ... ask questions ... and when each of the stallholders are happy with the person's knowledge about their service, then they'll sign away and [the student will] go in the draw to win an Xbox One," Ms Emojong said.
"It's to maximise engagement, rather than just to get free stuff and not being any the wiser."
Family Referral Service Gunnedah, Gunnedah Family Support, TAFE and Centrelink were just some of the stallholders at the event, held at Gunnedah Town Hall.
The event also featured a free sausage sizzle, giveaways, a photo booth and even a DJ.
This is just the beginning - we’ve got stacks of stuff on for the holidays and the rest of youth week so we’d love as much community support as possible.
- Sewa Emojong
Ms Emojong said the event was "very versatile", and was for everyone.
"It's an opportunity for students to meet service providers that can assist them in various aspects of their life," she said.
"It's not necessarily for when you finish school - even though there are some things like TAFE, even Centrelink and Department of Human Services, that can help you as you're looking to move into independence."
The Youth Expo is the first of this year's Youth Week events, with trivia, a scavenger hunt and an interschool debate also on the agenda.
Gunnedah Shire Council's school holiday program will kick-start on Monday, April 15.