My name is Benjamin Reid, I’m a Year 12 student at Catherine McAuley College.

I was introduced to YO after applying for a Youth Council position at the end of 2021 which I didn’t get. But then came back to YO when I joined the Wednesday Dungeons and Dragons group, in which I met many like-minded people who just love sitting around and playing some Dungeons and Dragons. I then applied for the 2023-24 Youth Council after attending a ‘Try Before You Buy’ Meeting and I was successful in getting the position. I wanted to volunteer with YO because I wanted to be around people who were passionate about helping other young people like me to thrive whilst having fun and meeting new people. I’ve been privileged to volunteer alongside 18 of the brightest and most passionate young people in Greater Bendigo.

I chose to do SWL (Structured Workplace Learning) at YO Bendigo because I was already familiar with the organisation and loved what it stood for. I also get to use a lot of skills I learnt whilst doing English classes. I love that the articles that I’ve written are designed to speak to the young people of Greater Bendigo. I know there are many other teenagers like me who will read these articles and feel like they belong at YO Bendigo. I also amended several documents for the City of Greater Bendigo Youth Council, I helped with the agenda for our team meeting, went to Crusoe College to play board games with the students and helped with typing social media posts. I also sat in on a meeting with Moira Shire who is hoping to start their own Youth Council. I also got to sit in and contribute to a Rainbow Coalition meeting.

The staff are incredibly friendly, professional, and welcoming. I’ve enjoyed tapping into my creative side to produce positive news articles and the staff are very much focused on what I want to do. I’ve also gotten to sit on meetings throughout my time and have always been invited to contribute my opinion. It had been amazing getting to see how a business environment operates and really get to use my creative side in an office environment with supportive staff who are very approachable and nice.

I’d encourage all young people to come check out YO Bendigo as it provides fantastic opportunities for young people to meet like-minded people.