MidCoast Council

04/11/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/10/2024 20:36

Express. Empower. Get Loud! Nominate young people for a Youth Award

Express. Empower. Get Loud! Nominate young people for a Youth Award

Published on 11 April 2024

Recognise an outstanding young person in our community by nominating them for a MidCoast Youth Award.

MidCoast Youth Awards nominations are open for young people aged 12 to 24 years old living, working or studying in the MidCoast local government area.

A new award category has been included this year to expand the program and celebrate even more outstanding young people and their achievements. The new Team Award has been added to recognise a group of young people who have demonstrated teamwork in areas such as sports, school, clubs or community groups.

"MidCoast Youth Awards are an excellent way for us to celebrate a wide range of achievements from young people in the community," said Alex Mills, MidCoast Council's Manager Libraries, Community and Cultural Services.

"If you are a sports coach, teacher, year advisor, career advisor, team leader, mentor or anyone who knows a young person who is doing great things in our community, nominate them for a youth award to show them that their hard work is being recognised."

All categories except the entrepreneurship and team award are split into two age groups, 12-17 years and 18-24 years. The entrepreneurship award is open to young people aged 18-24 and the team award is open to young people aged 12 - 24.

Each award includes a certificate, a $250 gift card, and recognition that can help underpin future career ambitions. The team award will have a $500 gift card as the prize.

The categories are:

  1. Team Award - acknowledges a group of young people who have worked well together as a team.
  2. Sports Award - recognises a young person who has successfully represented the community in their chosen sport.
  3. Leadership Award - acknowledges young people who display or sustain positive leadership qualities or positions within the community.
  4. Wellbeing and Resilience Award - celebrates young people who have bounced back from tough times to accomplish a positive outcome.
  5. Community Service Award - recognises young people who have volunteered their time to give back to our community.
  6. Entrepreneur Award - acknowledges individuals who have exhibited innovation, motivation, vision and creativity to establish a business venture or new start up business.
  7. Arts Award - is given to young people who have excelled in their chosen field within the arts including visual arts, literary arts, and the performing arts.

For more information and to nominate a young person for a MidCoast Youth Award, head to https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/YouthAwards. Nominations are open from 11 April to 23 June 2024.

The final Awards Ceremony will be held in August at MidCoast Council's MEC.

The MidCoast Youth Awards are a partnership between PCYC Taree, MidCoast Council, LJ Hooker Taree and Grow A Star and prizes are sponsored by these and other local organisations.

Young people can also come together to celebrate Youth Week at a range of different free activities around the MidCoast region from 11 to 21 April including the Beats on the Bank - Live & Loud, Youth Arts Festival, painting workshops, resume writing workshops, sushi making workshop, trivia nights and outdoor movies. https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/YouthWeek2024.

Young people can also enter in a Youth Week photography competition with a $100 voucher awarded for first prize. Submissions are already open and close Sunday 21 April. https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/YouthWeek2024.

Youth week activities coincide with the autumn school holidays, during which MidCoast Council has a range of events and activities for kids of all ages. Check out the events here: https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/school-holiday-activities.

Council is also seeking young people to join the MidCoast Youth Action Collective which is an action group to help with planning and implementing youth-led activities, events and initiatives across the MidCoast region. https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Community/Community-support-and-statistics/Youth/MidCoast-Youth-Action-Collective.