On 20 August, a group of Year 10 Student Councillors took part in the Joondalup Youth Forum at the Joondalup Civic Chambers. We were treated to a generous morning tea before a workshop on ‘place making’.  

We were asked to come up with innovative ideas to use community spaces and places in our local areas to benefit and attract people. We were given photos of community spaces and brainstormed ideas of how we could improve these spaces. Ideas ranged from outdoor cinemas to local markets. Afterwards, we had an amazing lunch provided for us and we got to socialise with Councillors from other schools in the area.

Finally, we all had the privilege of sitting in on a real Council meeting. During the meeting, students and members of the public were invited to pose questions to the Council. After all questions were answered by various Councillors, we observed discussions of proposals put forward by the community in support of Joondalup City, making it a better place to live in.

We also had the opportunity to meet and exchange a few words with Mayor, Albert Jacob after the Council meeting. The whole day was a fantastic experience, not only did we leave with great knowledge of a local Council meeting, but we also received a goodie bag filled with useful gifts.

Emma Sabatini

Y10 Councillor