The volunteer group draws members from nine local schools and runs free events across East Auckland
The Howick Youth Council reaches its fifteenth birthday on Saturday, an anniversary earned by an organisation that rebuilds itself every few years.
Since June it has been putting the call out to distinguished alumni who helped build the Youth Council, asking former members to come forward so it can reconnect with them for the milestone.
Its 31 current members come from nine East Auckland secondary schools and from tertiary study, and applications for new and returning members open each December.
The chairperson is Alex Lin.
The council was set up in 2011 by the Howick Local Board, which has funded it ever since.
In its own words, it seeks “to empower youth to bring about a positive influence in our community by ensuring their voices are heard in the decisions that shape our city”.
It does that by organising events, advocating for issues that matter to young people, and facilitating consultation on council plans that will impact youth.
By its tenth birthday it had put more than 50,000 volunteer hours into East Auckland across 80-odd projects, events and consultations, all of them run by young people.
The range is wider than the word council suggests.
The East Auckland Youth Visual Art Showcase, run with Arts Out East, Uxbridge Arts and Culture and Te Tuhi, drew more than 60 entries in 2023 across painting, sculpture, animation, photography and mixed media.
A youth film festival put young filmmakers in front of a professional judging panel and on screen at Monterey Cinemas in Howick, where more than 100 people turned out in 2019.
Pride Allied, run with RainbowYOUTH, brings together LGBTQIA+ young people and their allies.
The East Auckland Youth Awards recognise community leadership, sport, arts, cultural pursuits, environmental service and enterprise.
A concert staged with head students from the East Auckland schools drew more than 380 people and raised money for mental health awareness.
The council has also run candidate forums since the 2014 general election, and again at the 2018 Howick ward by-election, the 2019 local elections and the 2020 general election.
Its flagship is the Howick Youth Summit, which brings more than 100 secondary students together to work up solutions to local problems and turn them into recommendations.
This year’s is at Te Tuhi on 21 August from 8.45am to 3.15pm, open to Year 11 to 13 students and ranging from mental wellbeing to social justice and purposeful media.
Also coming is East After Dark, a free music showcase for performers and audiences aged 12 to 24, at Ormiston Junior College’s Manawatere auditorium.
Doors open at 5pm and performances start at 5.30pm, with registration through Eventfinda required.
