Tamworth local Jack Lyon and Kentucky woman Katie Barnett chosen to represent New England and North West Region on Regional Youth Taskforce

The group's mission is to identify issues affecting young people across NSW and to advise the Minister for Regional Youth Ben Franklin.

"Young people, no matter what walk of life they come from, deserve more opportunities and better outcomes in the future than they have now," new taskforce member Jack Lyon said.

READ MORE:

A longtime mental health support advocate and Deputy mayor of the Tamworth Youth Council, Mr Lyon is no stranger to politics.

His goals for the taskforce are well in line with the government's youth framework pillars: work readiness, wellbeing, connectivity and community.

"I want to see more work-ready outcomes, youth empowerment, a stronger sense of community and perhaps a different focus for how to prevent youth mental health problems," Mr Lyon said.

Katie Barnett, a 22-year-old assistant manager at a large sheep station near Uralla, is also excited to get to work on the taskforce.

"I'd like to see more opportunities for young people in my community including more employment, better housing and education," Ms Barnett said.

Mr Lyon and Ms Barnett will both represent the New England and North West Region on the fourth Regional Youth Taskforce assembled since 2020.

Previous taskforces have been responsible for the development of a summer holiday program, which provided assistance to communities affected by droughts, advocating for a mental health providers list specialising in youth issues, and meeting with WorldPride to spread LGBTQIA+ youth awareness.

The group will meet with Minister Ben Franklin four times over the course of the year and may be reached for further consultation as needed.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: