Youth council knocks it out of the park with 'empowering' skateboard event

But newly-elected Youth Mayor Rory Davis said the event wasn't just about skateboarding, it was about empowering the region's youth.

"We're starting to refer to our youth strategy which was made last year. Hopefully we can talk to some youth at these events and get their opinions on what they need going forward," Rory said.

"Once we get that feedback we can get started on some really great things that relate to our action plan for the youth for the next couple of years."

Young people are at the forefront of a spike in loneliness and psychological distress, a trend experts say has gotten much worse since the COVID pandemic.

Tamworth's youth mayor said the key to reversing that trend was giving kids as many chances as possible to get out and express themselves.

"The youth in our region feel muted and not really connected, so it's really important that the Youth Council empower them," she said.

"My little brother is here, having a great time, and I think it's really important we encourage that and motivate the youth of the future to have that inter-connectedness."

The Skate, Create, Empower event drew a huge crowd to Viaduct Park, which received a huge infrastructure upgrade in 2022 in part due to council's previous youth strategy.

Totem Skateboarding's David Cameron said it was incredibly valuable for young people have such a high-quality meeting place.

"It's good to see because we need good skate parks in towns, and this is one of the best ones we've seen," Mr Cameron said.

Rory told the Leader she'd like to see similar events and meeting places brought to Tamworth's more rural areas like her hometown of Manilla.

"As someone from an outlying town myself, I'd love to have everyone from the region's smaller towns feel heard and included," the Manilla Central School captain said.

Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) and the youth council are also hosting a huge open day at the Youthie to round off Youth Week celebrations on Saturday, April 20.

TRC's acting team leader of inclusive community, Haley Fenn, says the events planned have been meticulously planned to suit the needs of youth in the area.

"Based on feedback from last year's Youth Week events, we wanted to host events that encouraged creativity, conversation and fun," Ms Fenn said.

"We strongly encourage anyone wanting to meet new people, chat with the Youth Council and looking for a school holiday activity to come along."

The open day is free to attend with barbecue supplied and a range of activities including games, karaoke, art exhibitions, and stall holders to look forward to from 12pm.