An inspiring, free-entry festival designed by and for young people in the Bay of Plenty – to align with Youth Week – is on in Tauranga this Saturday, May 25.
YouthFest will feature an electrifying line-up of local youth bands – such as Requiem, Blah Blah Uh Huh Boo Hoo and the dynamic duo The Mochaccinos with their live looping performance, along with Quann – from 1pm-4pm at the Historic Village.
The festival will also highlight the extraordinary talents of Mount Maunganui 11-year-old Nina Smith.
“Performing live makes me feel really good, and I’m excited to bring joy to everyone at YouthFest,” says Nina.
Tauranga Youth Development Team – a not-for-profit group dedicated to empowering young people in the Bay of Plenty – recently rebranded to Youth Voices Action.
To celebrate the transformation to Youth Voices Action (YVA), which includes a new logo, new initiatives and new internal youth panel, the organisation is hosting YouthFest.
YVA general manager Erika Harvey says: “Our rebranding signifies a renewed dedication to the young people we serve”.
“YouthFest marks the beginning of what we anticipate will be a transformative journey.”
As such Erika says YouthFest is a fantastic opportunity “to showcase all of the young talent we have in the BOP and enjoy a fun afternoon together celebrating Youth Week”.
The 2024 Youth Week theme is “Māwherangi a tama roto ka taka, kāpuia ake ka pūrangiaho” – in English: ‘We may not have it all together, but together we have it all’ – which YVA believes perfectly captures the spirit of the festival.
“YouthFest is proof of the hard work and creative input by our youth panel,” says youth panel member Ara Robinson.
“Even though we’ve had to work with a tight budget, we are learning a lot – especially how much work goes into organising something like this.”
Erika says: “We’d love to see the community join us this Saturday, May 25, from 1pm-4pm at the Historic Village to enjoy the hard work our organisation and our panel have done in bringing this event to life”.
Free tickets for YouthFest are available online at: www.youthvoicesaction.org.nz