INDEPTH Youth of Parkes and Forbes had the chance to have their voices heard at the Connect and Thrive - Pathways event in Parkes. Delivered by the NSW Office for Regional Youth, Connect and Thrive - Pathways is a direct response to feedback from the 2024 Your Voice, Our Future consultation and NSW Youth Summit, where our youth called for more meaningful, face to face engagement in their own communities. The event included a youth-led networking session, a leadership and communication skills workshop and a Pitch It Session featuring local businesses, councils and community groups sharing opportunities for youth employment and engagement. Another highlight of the event was the Think Tank session where students collaborated with their fellow peers to co-design solutions to challenges they face in their communities. Students from Parkes High School, Parkes Christian School, Red Bend Catholic College and Forbes High School took part in the event where they were equipped with the tools, networks and confidence they need to shape their futures. Among the discussions, the youth of Parkes want to see a youth council like the one in Forbes - the Forbes Youth Action Team. And students from both Parkes High and Forbes High said they'd like to see more competitions between the two schools, adding that if students are unable to participate in sport outside of school for multiple reasons, they should be able to take part in school. The Champion Post caught up with some of the Parkes students involved, a few before the event and some afterwards. Here's what they had to say: PARKES HIGH COMMENTS BEFORE EVENT: Kyian Cottier Q1: What are you looking forward to most about being part of the Connect and Thrive event? I am most looking forward to being able to form connections with like-minded people who are passionate about growth, collaboration, and making a meaningful impact. I feel that the chance to exchange ideas, learn from the experiences of others and form new relationships can be extremely helpful for both personal and professional development. Q2: Why do you think it's important to hold events like this for young people in regional areas? Events like these are important because they provide access to opportunities, inspiration, and networks that may otherwise be difficult to reach, helping people in regional communities to feel connected and confident in pursuing their personal interests and goals. Q3: What do you hope to learn, gain or share by taking part in this event? I hope to gain new perspectives, build new connections, and learn from the experiences of others. I also look forward to sharing my own journey and experiences, and help to encourage others to follow their passion with confidence and pride. Q4: Is there an issue or challenge you are passionate about? I am primarily interested in the consistent issue of mental health concerns in young people, more specifically people aged between 14 and 25, as they are most significantly impacted. Q5: What is great about living in Parkes? The Parkes community is great because in small, regional areas like this, making valuable connections is easy, especially when communities like ours are so diverse and interconnected, making close relationships with others much more attainable Meg Skinner Q1: What are you looking forward to most about being part of the Connect and Thrive event? I am looking forward to meeting new people and discussing issues within our community. Q2: Why do you think it's important to hold events like this for young people in regional areas? I think it is important for young people in regional areas to have events like this so that we can have opportunities to discuss issues or challenges that we are passionate about. Q3: What do you hope to learn, gain or share by taking part in this event? I hope to learn more about our community and challenges within our town that I may be unaware of. Q4: Is there an issue or challenge you are passionate about? There are not many activities within the town for teenagers which leads them to loiter around town. Q5: What is great about living in Parkes? Parkes has a great community, home to the Dish and lots of great scenery when it comes to the farming and canola crop filled fields. There are many sporting clubs which provide variety and options for families when choosing an extracurricular activity. Parkes High School is also a great public Highschool that thrives in many different aspects of schooling such as cultural, academic and sporting. Laura Burkitt Q1: What are you looking forward to most about being part of the Connect and Thrive event? I would like to discuss the future of the Parkes community and how younger citizens can contribute to it. Q2: Why do you think it's important to hold events like this for young people in regional areas? It's important for young people to have an opinion on what goes on in the community and to have an understanding of the processes behind the scenes Q3: What do you hope to learn, gain or share by taking part in this event? I wish to share the thoughts and opinions of my peers and learn to have a better appreciation for the effort that goes into this community. Q4: Is there an issue or challenge you are passionate about? I wish for the Parkes incinerator to not go ahead. I am concerned about the impact on the local community and environment. Q5: What is great about living in Parkes? A Nice, close community. Nate Henry Q1: What are you looking forward to most about being part of the Connect and Thrive event? Making new connections and creating more opportunities with everyone, learning and finding solutions within the community. Q2: Why do you think it's important to hold events like this for young people in regional areas? To help younger people understand and grow from past experiences and help continue to develop the regional areas. Q3: What do you hope to learn, gain or share by taking part in this event? Getting to know many new people and learn some helpful tips and history of Parkes, and share my thoughts and ideas with everyone else. Q4: Is there an issue or challenge you are passionate about? Not in particular but minor things such as more sport being accessible and ran by the community. Q5: What is great about living in Parkes? It's a unique and up to date place, with a large variety of great opportunities always being offered and everyone generally knows each other. And it continues to grow throughout the years and develop positively. PARKES CHRISTIAN SCHOOL AFTER EVENT: Zoe Bilsborough 1. In the Pitch It session, what did you learn? We learned about the variety of different job opportunities within the local council (such as HR, IT, event/town planner, CAT program, etc), FYAT (Forbes Youth Action Team), PCYC and various other organisations. It was also said at multiple points throughout the session that University is not the only path, there are so many other opportunities out there. Some great advice given in this session was that if you get the opportunity to have hands-on experience you should take it, do work experience, volunteer in the community, take a gap year, because you will always learn something useful in everything you do. I knew about some of these opportunities, but with the jobs in council I never realised how many different opportunities there were within it so there is pretty much a job for anyone. 2. Did you have a highlight of the event? I loved hearing about all the different gap year programs such as Contiki Tours, Year 13 and the ADF Gap Year. Also playing 'diversity bingo' at the start was a great way to break the ice for everyone. 3. Was there something that you found valuable about the event? It was reassuring to hear that there are so many different opportunities and that the job you take after school is not the one you have to stick with for life, there are always other things you can do and you don't have to go to Uni 4. What did you think of the event? I thought it was a really eye opening experience, especially to hear personal stories from people. It gave more or a realistic feel instead of just being told that you don't have to go to Uni or stick with one job for life. 5. Did you have a favourite session? I really enjoyed the Pitch It session, it's made me think about what I want to do after school and has reassured me that you don't need to know exactly what you want to do 6. Why do you think it is important to have these events for youth in our community? I think it is really important to have these events as it actually makes people aware of how many opportunities and jobs there actually are in rural areas, you don't have to move to a big city to get better opportunities because there are way more than you realise in rural areas. Chloe Amery In the Pitch It session, what did you learn? In the Pitch It session local businesses and councils shared the employment opportunities that they have to offer for young people in our area. These opportunities included cadet and traineeships and volunteering opportunities at the PCYC, Department of Primary Industries, Forbes and Parkes Shire Council, NSW Health and many other businesses. I didn't know how many job and study opportunities that especially council had to offer in different areas such as business, finance, town planning, mechanics, horticulture and many more which are great local employment and study opportunities Did you have a highlight of the event? The highlight of the event for me was hearing from all of the local businesses about their employment opportunities for young people and further networking with them afterwards to explore local employment and study options for after school. Was there something that you found valuable about the event? The session with Jillian Kilby where she spoke about 'Your Strengths, You Future' was a valuable part of the event as she discussed feeling empowered, impactful and engaged in what we do and in our community. Assisting us to explore our own values and goals for the future, she taught us how to use design thinking to solve problems and be innovative. What did you think of the event? The Connect and Thrive event was a great day filled with helpful sessions to hear from some inspiring business people, explore local employment and study opportunities and network with other young people. Did you have a favourite session? My favourite session was hearing from all of the local businesses about their local employment opportunities for young people as this is something that I may be considering for next year after school. Why do you think it is important to have these events for youth in our community? It is important to have events like Connect and Thrive for youth in our community to network with other young people, to be empowered and inspired and to explore local employment and study opportunities that we may not have otherwise been aware of. Mia Baker In the Pitch It session, what did you learn? Within the Pitch it session we learnt many important opportunities within our local areas for jobs including traineeships, youth events to be involved in and a wide variety of job opportunities entailing hands-on alongside academical based traineeships, and how to access them. Before the session I was briefly aware of certain opportunities, however hearing about them from the perspective of individuals who participated in such opportunities was really eye opening. Did you have a highlight of the event? I believe my highlight of the event was actually connecting with many other school students who were in attendance on the day, actually learning from them about their dream careers and 5 year plans and how they plan on achieving their goals was really interesting and inspiring. Was there something that you found valuable about the event? The most valuable takeaways that I had from the event was that there are so many other options rather than going straight to university, which are almost just as beneficial if not more in terms of support and experience. Another thing that truly has been valuable to me from the event is I AM NOT ALONE, connecting with many other students truly reinforced that there are many individuals who are going through the same situation of planning for their near future, and I am sure feeling a very similar stress that I am, furthermore emphasising I am not alone. What did you think of the event? I thought the event was engaging and proactive, actually seeing many businesses and individuals who care about future generations and supporting us through the next step in life was really encouraging and comforting. Especially when the event had clear goals of connecting not only students within the rural community but also businesses who are able to support our next steps and goals in life. Did you have a favourite session? A favourite session of mine was particularly when a business woman named Jillian Gilby presented, speaking about her journey to owning her own business Exchange and the process of starting such a business. It was truly inspiring to see a woman who is hardworking and driven buy a run down building and transform it into a successful business. With myself having such big dreams of owning my own physiotherapy business, it was genuinely motivating to hear from Mrs. Gilby and know how she achieved her goals. Why do you think it is important to have these events for youth in our community? It is vital that as teenagers we feel connected to not only one another but also the business world. Leaving school is extraordinarily intimidating and being unaware of opportunities is a disadvantage to us teenagers. These events in the community not only connect us teenagers with one another, but it provides us with security knowing businesses who are eager to hire us graduates. Therefore showing how important it is to have these events in our community.
