Mr Pohlner said the report found alarming levels of family violence, child abuse, teenage child pregnancy and depression among youth in Warrnambool.

“I was startled by the report. I thought, it cannot be the same Warrnambool that I am living in,” he said.

The report shocked him out of his ignorance and he decided to stand for council because he believed it could play a role in solving the problems.

Many youth issues have traditionally been dealt with by state and non-government agencies but Mr Pohlner said the council could bring people together and play an overarching role.

He said local government’s involvement in the Beyond the Bell program, which aimed to improve the region’s Year 12 attainment rate, showed how councils could contribute collaboratively in non-traditional areas.

Mr Pohlner, who works with youth in his role as an elder of Warrnambool’s Lutheran Church, said youth services in Warrnambool did a wonderful job but were “swamped” with work.

“The community needs to take more ownership of the problems,” he said.

Solutions were available but required “all the community to rally around those opportunities,” Mr Pohlner said.

He said the Mornington Peninsula and Myrtleford both had similar problems to Warrnambool but were able to significantly reduce them by taking part in the Communities that Care (CTC) program.

Mornington Shire Council was involved in the Mornington Peninsula CTC program, coordinating funding from the state government. Warrnambool is registered as a CTC site but has yet to implement a plan.

The CTC program uses an early intervention and prevention framework to guide communities towards understanding their local needs, identifying and setting priorities, and implementing effective evidence-based strategies to address those needs.

Mr Pohlner said the program gave youth the ability to manage risk factors in their lives such as alcohol and illegal drug use by building up protective factors such as interaction with positive peers and building up social competencies.