Two of Rockhampton City Council’s Youth Councillors, Caterina Nicolo and Jack Piggott, were chosen by Brisbane City Council to attend one of the leading business and government forums in the Asia Pacific region.
Brisbane City Council hosted the sixth Asia Pacific Cities Summit from 31 August to 3 September. To ensure that young people were represented at the event, Council fully subsidised the registration fee for 100 young emerging leaders who were selected through an application process.
Mayor of Rockhampton, Councillor Margaret Strelow, said Council was extremely proud of the two Youth Councillors who represented Rockhampton’s young people.
“The more opportunity they have to contribute, the stronger Rockhampton’s future will be,” Mayor Strelow said.
The theme of this year’s summit was ‘Renewing Asia Pacific Cities’. Issues considered included sustainability, liveability, economic development, leadership and governance.
Youth Councillor Caterina Nicolo said, as a teacher, the summit provided professional development with regards to sustainability within Australia.
“The summit will help me in reaching my goal of creating educational resources and children’s stories based on the environment, as well as community initiatives that strive to conserve natural entities for future generations,” she said.
“The Youth Council in Rockhampton has been a fantastic opportunity for me to develop leadership skills, learn about Local Government and experience the roles and responsibilities Councillors and other government officials need to take into consideration for the enhancement of the community.
“Council puts emphasis on promoting youth involvement and seeks to help young people reach and establish goals for themselves and be productive members of the community.”
Youth Councillor Jack Piggott said the summit was a great opportunity to discuss some of the big issues facing the region. He said it was good to learn how issues would affect local youth who, in the future, will be the ones dealing with them.
For further information on the Asia Pacific Cities Summit visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/apcs
