Jane Nees BOP Regional Councillor www.janenees.co.nz

Our young people are our future.

The world they will live in depends partly on what we do now to shape the world of the future, and partly on how well they are equipped to deal with the challenges they will face.

Every year, Bay of Plenty Regional Council hosts Youth Jam - an annual youth event for Bay of Plenty secondary students to foster environmental awareness, youth leadership and participation in civic issues. All secondary schools in the region are invited. Last year we had more than 50 students attend from around the Bay who explored transport, Rotorua Lakes, economic development, and Tauranga Harbour. A delegation from Youth Jam presented the group's recommendations to council prior to drafting the current draft Ten Year Plan.

This year's event is being held this week and student delegations from Katikati, Tauranga Girls', Papamoa, Kawerau and Edgecumbe colleges, and Western Heights and Whakatane high schools will be attending.

The theme is ‘Shaping the Bay: Planning the future of the region for youth today and tomorrow'. The key aims of the two day event are to:

• Increase understanding of the future growth, opportunities, threats and needs for a sustainable Bay of Plenty;
• Encourage youth to see the Bay as part of their future;
• Provide opportunities for youth to learn about and have input into future growth of Bay of Plenty;
• Give youth a voice to help decide the future of their community;
• Provide feedback to councillors on youth points of view.

I am really looking forward to hearing about their vision for the Bay of Plenty and what sort of a job they think we are doing to shape the world they will live in.

If you have any views on this or any other issue, please email me: [email protected] or phone me: 07 579 5150. Or you can check out my website: www.janenees.co.nz