Meet our new Youth Mayor and Deputy Mayor

Published on 11 April 2024

Congratulations to our new Youth Mayor, Orianna Edmonds, and Youth Deputy Mayor, Niamh Coffey, who were elected at this week’s Youth Council meeting.

The Youth Council also welcomed three new members – Kai Biviano, Samuel Kelso and Emmika Kent - at its meeting on Monday 8 April.

The Youth Council is a formal advisory committee of Council and is made up of 15 young people aged 15-25 in Nillumbik. The group provides a voice for young people in Nillumbik and advocates on their behalf on major issues, projects and initiatives.

Orianna Edmonds was previously the Youth Council’s Deputy Mayor and is passionate about youth work, mental health and the environment.

A resident of St Andrews, Orianna runs her own business, is a member of the Nillumbik Economic Development Board, Young Farmers Council for Agriculture Victoria and volunteers for other community organisations.

“My passion for this beautiful Shire is great and I love this part of the world, especially the land, so protecting our climate and environment, including animals and wildlife is very important to me,” Orianna said.

“Losing our home and everything in the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, and experiencing challenging times in life, has made me extremely passionate about mental health.

“As young people, we are the upcoming leaders and change makers, ready to shape a new future and I look forward to doing this with the Youth Council.”

Niamh Coffey, of Eltham North, has been a member of the Youth Council for the past three years and is also a member of the Eltham Youth Council, their school Council, is a school captain, and leads the school’s Feminist Collective. In March, they were the recipient of a Young Women Leader Award for gender equity.

“I absolutely love the work we do here and I’m really passionate about aiding our local community,” Niamh said.

Niamh said they were particularly focused on social equity, “aiming to provide inclusive opportunities and platforms to uplift the voices of minority groups within our community, as well as efforts to counter discrimination and ignorance”.

Deputy Mayor Karen Egan congratulated the new Youth Mayor and Deputy and all the Youth Councillors for their work on behalf of Nillumbik’s young people.

“The Youth Council provides an important platform for young people to participate in local decision making and provides them opportunities to take on leadership roles in the community,” Cr Egan said.

“I look forward to hearing what they have to say and seeing the outcomes of their work this year, including the new Nillumbik Youth Hub in Diamond Creek.”

Recruitment for the 2025 Youth Council will begin early next year. For more information about the Youth Council, visit the Nillumbik Youth website.

Deputy Youth Mayor Niamh Coffey, Nillumbik Shire Council Deputy Mayor Cr Karen Egan and Youth Mayor Orianna Edmonds.

The Nillumbik Youth Council.