When 18-year-old Dapto High School student Emma Mattison discovered there was an opportunity to become a "Young Mayor" of her region, she jumped at the chance.
"I was like, 'Oh my god, yes, I want to get on this'," she said.
"I want to be able to help young people like myself in my area."
Miss Mattison is one of eight students in the NSW Illawarra region taking part in the Young Mayors program.
It's the first time the program has been run in NSW, and invites 12 to 17-year-olds to nominate themselves for a position on a youth forum to share their perspective with Wollongong City Council.
The youth forum will have the power to consult with adolescent constituents, define priority action areas and table resolutions that council may choose to adopt.
Miss Mattison said the group has already begun discussing what their priorities should be.
"There is already a lot of chat on climate action, safe spaces for young people, and different activities we can push for," she said.
"Just being able to speak and get my ideas across on certain things is a good opportunity."
Teenagers at ballot boxes
The students vowed to represent their demographic "free of bias" at a swearing-in ceremony at Wollongong City Council Chambers last week.
The formal occasion followed a two-month election campaign by a total 16 candidates as part of the program led by the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA).
In September, the FYA and New South Wales Electoral Commission partnered to establish 16 polling stations at schools and community centres across Wollongong, where residents aged 12 to 17 could cast their vote.
More than 1,400 teenagers voted in what was the first-ever underage preferential vote in New South Wales.
Built for young voices
A week before polling stations opened, all candidates discussed their interests and priorities at their first public speaking event at Wollongong Art Gallery.
Acting chief executive for FYA Molly Whelan said the students were nervous about spruiking their ideas but ultimately rose to the occasion.
"We often make judgements, like '[young people] aren't going to understand, they are not going to get it'," they said.
"But its events like where young people demonstrate again, they do have the answers and it is about us finding ways for them to not just share them but take action."
Queensland was the first Australian state to trial FYA's Young Mayors program, which operates around the world.
Mental health, climate change
The youth forum will work in consultation with, but independent of, Wollongong City Council during its 12-month term, and use a $10,000 budget to back its advocacy.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said the program is a way to foster engagement in politics for young people, and create a balance of views.
"From my perspective, every section of our community needs a voice," Cr Bradbery said.
"[The youth forum brings] a different perspective, different outlook and different set of priorities that sometimes council needs to hear and the rest of the community needs to hear."
He said he'll be watching to see how they decide to spend their $10,000 budget.
"It's just a mirror image of what we do at council, using a limited amount of resources to service the needs of the community. It's a great way to introduce people to the problem of politics."
Youth forum member Abigail Stewart said that while the youth forum is yet to set its agenda, improving access to local mental health support services has already been tabled as a priority.
"I would really like to tackle mental health in schools, especially public schools, because from my experience there hasn't been enough support, or enough places or services that students can access," Miss Stewart said.
Another youth forum member, Keira High School student Christelle Fhaye, said climate change is a "very detrimental situation" that she wants to mitigate on local levels.
"I know a lot of people don't have the luxury of being elected on a youth forum, so I am very grateful that I can do something for young people," Miss Fhaye said.
