These were just some of the issues flagged by an enthusiastic and intelligent group of young people at the Bega Valley Council Youth Forum held at the Bega Civic Centre and Littleton Gardens Friday, May 27.

The young people were aged between 12 and 24 and the forum was a mix of guided discussions and fun activities for local high school students and young people who had finished school.

Youth resilience officer with Bega Valley Shire Council Cal Champagne said the energy and positive vibes at the forum reflected the drive and determination young people have to take charge of their destinies.

"What we heard and felt at the forum was a desire for creating real change and a growing understanding of the need for collaboration to make that happen," Mr Champagne said.

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The activities and discussions were led by facilitators Headspace, the Funhouse, Campbell Page, The Crossing Land Education Centre, Eden Community Access Centre, the University of Wollongong and the Bega Valley Innovation Hub.

Year 12 Eden Marine High student Freya Occleshaw said the last few years had been particularly challenging for young people, with large amounts of face-to-face learning missed and continued disruptions due to COVID and short-staffing at schools.

"A lot of our schooling has been affected by the pandemic, I did my Year 11 exams online and I've missed the better part of a year and a half between Year 10 to 12 now of doing actual in-face learning," she said.

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The impact of the pandemic, coupled with a fear about their future in the context of climate change, Ms Occleshaw said many of her peers had "lost enthusiasm for life a little bit".

"Because the future is so uncertain, people aren't dreaming of things or making goals or aspirations and then with climate change people are thinking well what's the point if that's the future?

"If you don't have anything to look forward to, your mental health is going to suffer. It's really detrimental to how people view the future for themselves as well as everyone else. It creates an overall sense of hopelessness," she said.

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Jade Short, who left school in 2021, said by addressing some of the key issues raised by youth during the forum, the Bega Valley could become a better place for young people.

"I think one of the biggest issues with rural communities and the Bega Valley especially is that towns are so spread out and everyone feels very isolated," he said.

"I think the public transport system is the fundamental backbone of it all.

"If we don't have adequate public transport to connect us to events and activities across the Valley, people feel very isolated and that's really amplified by the structure of the Bega Valley."

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Mr Short and Ms Occleshaw said the timetabling of the buses and the lack of stops made it really difficult for young people to have a reliable mode of transport and feel less isolated.

Another issue flagged was the lack of engagement of youth on council's current platforms. Some of the students mentioned how the council could better interact with the youth on different types of social media.

Year 7 students Grace and Macy from Eden Marine High School said the day was a highlight for them because it actually made them feel heard by their community.

The students said they enjoyed having the opportunity to feel empowered to make changes within the Bega Valley.

The next stage of the Youth Speak journey would be the Future Shaper a two-day camp in July where all the great ideas from the forum would be workshopped.

"After that we'll follow through with a small working group to design, develop and carry out the recommended change projects with the support of community mentors," Mr Champagne said.