Bellarine Ward’s Genaya Rowbottom has been elected Greater Geelong’s 2022 junior mayor.
Six Youth Council members put themselves forward for a leadership position, and Genaya, 18, was elected by fellow youth councillors last month.
Genaya said the top three issues facing youth in the community today were gender and personal identity, climate change and racism.
“I am excited to be junior mayor because I aspire to work in leadership positions during my career,” Genaya said.
“I want to help people and be a voice for others and I look forward to learning from my ward councillors through the Councillor Connect Mentoring Program.
“I am honoured to be able to advocate for change on behalf of the youth of the Geelong region, and I’ll be looking to prioritise areas such as youth perspectives on climate change, gender and personal identity.”
As part of the position, Genaya will appear before council four times during 2022 to present the Youth Council’s findings and recommendations.
Genaya will also carry out mayoral duties, including chairing all meetings, representing the Youth Council at official functions, and acting as the group’s spokesperson.
Windermere Ward representative Angelle Mackay, 15, was elected junior deputy mayor.
Angelle said she would bring a “fierce passion and drive to implement change” and considered sexual harassment and mental health among the top issues young people of Geelong faced.
Deputy mayor Trent Sullivan congratulated the new leadership pair on their appointments.
“The junior mayor and junior deputy mayor’s election is an exciting moment,” he said.
“They both spoke very passionately at the induction and I have no doubt they will advocate strongly for their peers over the next year.
The 12 junior members of the 2022 Youth Council will act as an official advisory committee and ‘youth voice’ to council.
The group has set four priority areas for the year – mental health and wellbeing; promoting healthy and respectful relationships; diversity and inclusion; and the environment and sustainability.
