Imogen Draisma, 25, and Harry Ledger, 19, are both on the Labor party ticket for the upcoming election and they hope that their age can supply the Kiama Council with a new and fresh perspective.

Draisma, who already experienced some time as acting Mayor earlier this year when Mayor Reilly went on leave, believes that the Council must do more to engage with the younger generation of our community.

“Young people are the bread and butter of our economy, they fuel our hospitality, aged and disability care to name a few,” says Draisma.

Both Draisma and Ledger identify that one particular issue which affects young people in Kiama is the housing affordability problems, and they both are adamant on addressing these issues.

“Young people want to stay here, but they can’t,” says Draisma. “If short term rentals take over this town it will cripple the South Coast.”

“I am particularly attuned to some of the big issues of the future, chiefly housing affordability. I’m a university student now so that’s on the top of my mind,” says Ledger.

Ledger at 19 is one of the youngest candidates ever to nominate himself for council. You may remember him giving up his car, which he had spent two years saving for, and giving it to a victim of the Northern NSW floods.

Ledger believes that a good council should have a mix of experienced and young candidates so that all perspectives on issues can be explored.

“There’s a lot of experienced voices and people around who have been in this community for several decades, they’ve seen it grow and change and this is a real asset. But I also think youth is an asset. Being a young person is a very unique experience these days and it does provide a perspective that can be valued when advocating for local solutions,” says Ledger.

Ledger and Draisma are combined in saying that Kiama has struggled in the past to engage with their younger residents and they hope that a solution can be reached so that life in Kiama for young people can be a more enjoyable experience.

“If we can engage young people to combat those issues on a closer level, it can become local-based activism and change how young people experience this town,” says Draisma.

“There’s no formal or really decent process to get those (youths) voices elevated and that’s not necessarily an indication that something is wrong but it’s probably just an opportunity that we could, through a program or the youth forum, try and bring these voices up. It's something that we need to look at and find a way forward,” says Ledger.

The Bugle are looking to start a youth forum engaging with both Ledger and Draisma, and if you’d like to get involved, communicate your ideas or ask questions, please contact The Bugle or stay tuned for our future articles on the subject.