Former Bendigo youth mayor Ryan Peterson has added another impressive title to his CV - the role of Victorian Youth Premier.
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The 23-year-old La Trobe University student was recently elected to the top job by his peers in the Victorian Youth Parliament.
And he intends to use his position to improve healthcare in regional and rural Victoria.
Mr Peterson, who is studying a bachelor of planning with honours, says he will always use his political roles to amplify the voices of young people.
"For me, it always is and always has been about raising the profile of young people," Mr Peterson said.
"Any opportunity that I get to promote the awesome things that young people are capable of in a professional setting or working in advocacy or an engagement setting, I try to be a champion of young people.
"I would say that at this stage, this is probably the best opportunity I've had so far to do that.
"And all of my other opportunities have been a good preparation for not only for what I can get out of my new position, but also what I can give back and give other young people in terms of being recognised and respected as leaders in Victoria."
While Mr Peterson states he has no political ambitions beyond this role, he admits writing bills and policies as part of the YMCA Youth Parliament is enjoyable.
"The YMCA Youth Parliament program is obviously something Greater Bendigo has a team in, so there are six of us between say 15 and 23, all taking part in that program," he said.
"And as part of that, our team gets put into a chamber with say four or five other teams and then they vote to elect a chamber leader and then (that person) will automatically be nominated for Youth Premier.
"Not only is the Victorian Youth Premier elected each year, they are basically a kind of a public representative of all of the youth parliamentarians, an advocate for the youth parliament program, but it's also recognised by the state ministers and the government of Victoria.
"So while it is a part of the Youth Parliament program, there is a certain capacity to act as a public figure, I would say."
Like any member of the Youth Parliament team, Mr Peterson's goal is to get the bill they are debating onto the parliament floor - and this year the focus is on improving medical pathways into regional and rural Victoria.
"We're looking to address some really systemic issues with the current health system that are obviously quite prevalent in regional and rural Victoria," he said.
"It's an issue that's important to us in Bendigo that has flow-on effects across the state as well."
Mr Peterson wants to ensure more young people are aware of what is going on around them and are informed and respected enough to make decisions and have them be counted.
This year, the youth parliamentarians will be debating again in state parliament after two years on the outer due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sitting days are set for June 27, 28 and 30 so the public, especially other young people, can follow their progress.
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