6 January 2010

The Franklin Youth Advisory Board is an exciting first for Franklin, aimed at encouraging the youth of our community to get involved and make a positive difference for the community.

The group of 11 dedicated students are all from secondary schools in the Franklin district. Groups members include; Shannon Benterman, Sophie Knight and Chloe Cleaver from Waiuku College, Bernie McGuire from Tuakau College, Tiare Matara, Troy Edwards and Joel Edwards from Pukekohe High School, Neelam Hari from Pukekohe Christian School, Morgan Brady, Dilan Madhav and Jeannie Burnside from Strathallan College.

The group is lead by Jenny McMillan, Franklin District Council and assisted by Melissa Lelo, Ministry of Youth Development and Brendon Crompton, Franklin District Council Councillor and Bluelight.

Franklin District Mayor Mark Ball says, “The new Franklin Youth Advisory Board is a fantastic example of talented young people helping to make a difference in Franklin. The group will be using their experience and knowledge to start initiatives targeting their peers, from creating purpose-designed youth spaces to programmes that will develop their life skills.”

The group meets every week to discuss and plan their projects. Currently they are designing the redevelopment of the old transfer station on Nelson Street into Miller Park, an area that will potentially be developed into an open green space to be enjoyed by both young and old.

The Board is organising their first event for Sunday 7 March 2010 to celebrate Children’s Day and to also release a scale model of their proposed park for public opinion. This is a very important day for the Franklin Youth Advisory Board as they make their first contribution to Franklin history.