The Wairarapa Youth Council came up with an idea for a hui which took place in Masterton yesterday, aiming to give young people a chance to have their say on a range of important topics and "to look out for each other".
The hui, which took place during Youth Week, was also organised to make people more aware of the role of the youth council and give adults an opportunity to discover what it means to be a young person in Wairarapa today.
More than 200 students from Makoura College, Kuranui College, Solway College, Rathkeale College, St Matthew's Collegiate and Wairarapa College attended Masterton Town Hall for the event yesterday morning.
One of the organisers of the event, Sarah Taylor-Waitere of Masterton Safe and Healthy Community Council, said the hui, which was modelled on an expo event, was about helping young people "to look out for each other".
Wairarapa College band Front Back & Sides rocked out some high-octane tunes during the hui while students accessed information on key issues such as wellbeing, physical activity and nutrition, bullying, unity between schools, drink driving, alcohol and other drugs.
Ms Taylor-Waitere said she was delighted with the large crowd of students who were present.
She said she hoped the hui would help people understand the current issues facing young people and create an awareness of support services which are available. There was also a strong emphasis on greater unity between young people and their schools.
"It's about raising awareness and them becoming aware of what's out there and youth-friendly services.
"It's also about them looking out for each other and speaking up if you've got an issue," Ms Taylor-Waitere said. "It doesn't have to be around something individual. If you've got something on your mind and you want to be vocal about it and you want to see something happen [like a group being formed] or you want change. It's about encouraging young people to speak out."
Speaking prior to the event, the Spot youth centre co-ordinator Glenda Seville, who was one of the organisers of the event, said the council was granted funding by the Ministry of Youth Development for leadership training and hosting the event.
She said Youth Week was also a great opportunity to celebrate and encourage young people as well as providing events and highlighting services available to them. "Ideally we shouldn't just have a week to put the spotlight on young people's successes and challenges, but youth week helps us to champion our future decision makers," she said.