Published on Friday, 19 April 2019 at 9:04:00 AM

As part of Youth Week 2019, the Shire of Merredin organised a youth event called ‘Youth Fest’. This free event for youth featured a combination of activities, entertainment and career expo.

Youth Fest kicked off the start of the school holidays with a whole lot of fun. The theme for Youth Week 2019 was ‘Nurture the Now’. Minister for Housing; Veterans Issues; Youth; Asian Engagement, the Hon. Peter Tinley, stated "In saying 'Nurture The Now', we're encouraging young people to validate their achievements and progress right now and to create a positive impact during this stage of their life."

This theme was fostered throughout Merredin’s Youth Fest event with stallholders that provided information, guidance and support. The Shire also acknowledged the notion of “Nurture the Now” by providing surveys to the youth to empower them to have their say in the creation of a Shire youth strategy which will shape the future of their community. 

In terms of entertainment Merredin’s Youth Fest featured DJ MG who worked alongside event MC, Ryan “Trooth” Reynolds, to create beats for hilarious freestyle rap.

Additionally Youth Fest featured some fun activities including a bucking bull (or more accurately a ‘mad cow’) which created a whole lot of falls and fun. There was also face painting which transformed the children into anything from clowns to fairies. Just to make it a little more fun there was bubble soccer too. For those that haven’t seen bubble soccer before picture this: a classic game of soccer while wearing an enormous inflatable bubble. To be fair there was probably less soccer played then there was running into each other from a distance or being involuntarily rolled around the oval.

As with all events of this magnitude, there was a team of wonderful supporters that made it all happen. Firstly a huge thank you to event sponsors Collgar and Lotterywest for underpinning not just this event but the entirety of the Shire’s youth program for 2019. Secondly thank you to Avon Community Services for providing the bucking bull, fruit, water and the chill out zone.

Thank you to all of the volunteers that dedicated their time: Merredin Police, Merredin Central Regional TAFE, AMA Traineeships and Apprenticeships, Holyoake, Shire of Merredin representatives and Belgravia. 

Finally thank you to the Men’s Shed for (once again) their expert barbecue cooking knowledge and skills. Youth Fest will be back in 2020. 

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