The Lord Mayor's Youth Advisory Council has been such a fantastic opportunity for not only me but for the School, Community and Youth. Each meeting, the mayor meets with us in Brisbane City Hall and talks with us about future projects the Brisbane City Council are planning on undertaking. He is very open to questions from us and always up for a casual chat. As a young person, it is great that our opinions are being listened to and taken into when building the future of Brisbane. 

Not only do we meet with the Mayor, but we are also required to come up with a Project which includes the theme of Inclusion in Brisbane. At the end of the year, we have to propose our project idea to the Lord Mayor in the form of a presentation. 

We are grouped with representatives from other schools, also from Grade 10, which is a great way to socialise with a variety of young people and build contacts. Our Group has representatives from schools such as: Padua, Hillbrook, Boys Grammar, Kedron High, Kelvin Grove, Prince of Peace, Everton Park State High, and more. 

Our Inclusion Project focuses on including all cultures and people with disabilities. Our project adds on to another project the Council is already undertaking. To put it briefly, our project is linked with the new Victoria Park public space that is being developed. With that, we proposed that basketball hoops at the court are height adjustable which gives disabled people the opportunity to be included in these public spaces. Other small side proposals include height adjustable table tennis tables etc. With the height adjustable Basketball court, artists from a variety of cultures would be asked to paint on the court to spread love for the Multicultural-ness of Australia (maybe this Multicultural Idea could be applied at our school?).

The association also provides opportunities to get involved in volunteer work such as Homeless Connect, Youth Week, Lantern Festivals, Intergenerational Forums, NAIDOC Events, and so much more. These events are a fantastic and we get to meet so many different people with different experiences. It also is an honour to serve the community and use time in a way that will matter.

Overall, LMYAC has been amazing so far and has provided so many opportunities to build leadership skills, serve the community, share opinions, meet people and have fun. I know that this is the first year that Northside Christian College has been involved in the Lord Mayor's Youth Advisory Council and I hope that Northside continues to invest in this opportunity to build its students to the best they can be. 

- Joshua K (10C)