Three initiatives of the local Youth Climate Council (YCC) were endorsed at the June council meeting of the City of Victor Harbor.

Established by the council, the YCC is a group of likeminded, motivated individuals from Victor Harbor’s three middle and senior schools who are committed to inspiring change.

It met for the first time in March at the Youth Climate Summit hosted by the City of Victor Harbor.

The summit was an opportunity to hear from knowledgeable guest speakers, including Tim Jarvis (mountaineer, explorer and environmental scientist), Mark Koolmatrie (local Ngarrindjeri leader), and Amber Brock-Fable (Young Achiever of the Year for the South Australian Environment Awards 2021).

Mayo Moira Jenkins says the creativity, passion and intelligence of local young people cannot be underestimated.

“Young people represent the future of Victor Harbor. By engaging our youth in the climate action process, we can ensure we are adopting a united approach towards protecting our environment,” Dr Jenkins says.

“We are also building a next generation of leaders that are equipped with the knowledge they need to fuel a sustainable future.”

Students who attended the event were tasked with brainstorming initiatives and projects, up to a maximum budget of $2,000, that could help to tackle the issue of climate change in the local community and environment.

Three projects were then put forward for consideration at the City of Victor Harbor’s June council meeting, where it endorsed an allocation of $4,278 to support implementation of the projects.

The projects include a small-scale nursery to propagate native plants (Encounter Lutheran College), a planting project in the dunes at the northern end of Franklin Parade (Investigator College) and a greenifying initiative (Victor Harbor High School).

The council’s environmental projects team will continue to liaise with the schools to support the projects coming to fruition.

Mayor Jenkins says the council is eager to empower local youth to make a difference.

“The knowledge and eagerness of our Youth Climate Council is outstanding, and Council was keen to support the projects.”

“Bringing together the Youth Climate Council and giving our young people an opportunity to get involved in this importance space is just one of the actions that the City of Victor Harbor is taking to respond to the changing climate.”

Establishment of a Victor Harbor Youth Climate Council was identified as a key action in the City of Victor Harbor’s Climate Agenda to innovatively mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Other initiatives include collection of data that will establish a benchmark of carbon emissions from council operations and the integration of environmental criteria into procurement processes to encourage a market-led approach to low-carbon project delivery.

More information about the City of Victor Harbor’s Climate Agenda is available on its website.