The Glen Innes Youth Booth has been crowned Best Youth Centre in the 2025 Best in the New England – Community Edition, just days after being listed as a finalist for a local government award.
The community-driven youth hub, which offers after-school and holiday programs, mentoring, and creative workshops, took out the award following a flood of nominations and votes from local residents.
The Glen Innes Youth team took to social media to thank the community for the recognition.
“We are absolutely thrilled and honoured to have been voted ‘Best Youth Centre in the New England’ for 2025 by the New England Times! Thank you to everyone who voted and believed in our work at Glen Innes Youth Booth,” the team posted.
“Here’s to continuing to be ‘a real asset to the town’!”
That ‘asset’ sentiment was echoed throughout the votes, with Allison saying the Youth Booth is “a fantastic asset to the town” thanks to its strong after school and holiday programs.
Kristine said the centre provides “a safe, fun, inviting environment” with programs suitable for all ages.
Others praised the centre’s consistent efforts to create safe and engaging spaces for young people. “They are a fantastic safe space for young people,” Ash said. “The organisation has been running for five years and in that time they have displayed extraordinary support to the local young people of Glen Innes.”
Lewis agreed, highlighting the centre’s dedication to delivering positive experiences. “They do a great job providing a safe and fun space for the children to express themselves. With so many awesome events and activities provided throughout the year, they really do go above and beyond,” he said.
For Joanne, it’s the quality and recognition of the programs that stands out. “They have won several awards for their programs,” she said.
Indeed they are currently shortlisted for another award. The Youth Booth has been named a finalist in the 2025 Local Government Week Awards for delivering one of the most outstanding Youth Week programs in New South Wales.
The recognition follows the success of this year’s Youth Week celebrations, which brought together young people from across the Glen Innes Severn to take part in a mix of social events, cultural experiences and opportunities for connection and leadership.
Events were held across the region, encouraging broad participation and welcoming spaces for young people to come together and feel part of their community.
The Youth Booth, alongside local youth, was central to planning and delivering the program. Together, they designed a series of events including a gaming night, movie night, inflatable fun day and a guided cultural walk at The Willows.
This successful program has earned The Youth Booth a nomination for Best Small Council with the Most Outstanding Youth Week Program.
Acting Mayor Carol Sparks said the finalist nomination was a proud milestone, both for the community and staff who have helped shape The Youth Booth since its beginning.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see The Youth Booth receive this recognition. As someone who was involved in helping establish the service, it’s been wonderful to watch it grow into a vital space where young people from our rural community can connect and support each other,” said Cr Sparks.
Sparks said the nominations and awards recognises the hard work of The Youth Booth team and their commitment to creating programs that matter to our young people.
“It is a well-deserved acknowledgment of their efforts,” she said.
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