Youngest Youth Mayor intends to drive change for the better in Bendigo

Ms Correll has just been elected as Bendigo's youngest youth mayor - and the first one to take on the job while still in high school.

"It was the idea that I could do something bigger," Ms Correll said of stepping into the leadership role.

"I could contribute to the community instead of just staying in my own bubble."

The 17-member Youth Council represents the views of young people on the City of Greater Bendigo council's development of plans and programs which impact their lives.

The position of Youth Mayor has traditionally been held by university students, but Ms Correll is passionate about making sure young voices are heard, and she intends to use her position and her council to do it.

"Amplifying our voices is the number one thing I want to achieve," she said.

"I do think we shape and change the thought around how young people can be included in these conversations."

Youth councillors can be as young as 14, but the demands of youth mayor are too high for most students completing VCE.

Last year, when Ms Correll was deputy youth mayor, she spent about eight hours a week on her youth council responsibilities.

For the last two weeks as youth mayor elect, she has been averaging about 10 hours.

"I am noticing I have to sacrifice things - time with friends or sleep or study, but it's enjoyable nonetheless," Ms Correll said.

Despite the professional role she has taken on, Ms Correll said she is still a normal teenager, with a normal teenage life.

She has a twin sister she tries not to match too closely with and has a habit of annoying her mum by forgetting to put her council meetings on the family's shared calendar.

Separating her personal and professional lives has been a big learning curve for Ms Correll, especially when her peers on the Youth Council are often her schoolmates.

"At the end of the day, we're teenagers," she said.

"No matter how professional or how mature we might think we are, I think there's a level of professional growth that'll be achieved this year for everyone."

Ms Correll has no plans to slow down once she graduates from Bendigo Senior Secondary College at the end of the year.

She is applying for the government's School Leaver Program in Canberra next year, where she'll gain exposure to full-time work in a government department.

She's also applying to study a Bachelor of Politics Philosophy and Economics at ANU at the same time, but acknowledges it may be too much.

"Perhaps I'll defer that," Ms Correll said.

For now, she's focussed on making this a year to remember.

"I really want to reflect on the year and go, 'Wow, you did a great job'," Ms Correll said.

"I want to highlight everybody else and the amazing work that they've done. I don't want it to be necessarily all about me and the mayor and the city.

"They truly are such amazing young people to work with. They're going to do amazing things."