''A lot of young people ... see politics as something that doesn't matter to them,'' Logan Park High School pupil Grant McNaughton said.
''I feel like that turns away a lot of people and it means that there's this huge voice that's just silent in government ... the youth voice.''
Year 13 King's High School pupil Jehoon Mun agreed.
Youth voices were not ''respected and acknowledged in a lot of senses'', he said.
''This is kind of cliche, but youth are literally the future of any place or community, so it's important to hear what they have to say or what they think, even if we might not have as much life experience or knowledge as someone else.''
''To my knowledge, this is the first group that the DCC has formed to specifically represent high school-aged students.''
The youth council was formed after the DCC received a $51,500 Ministry of Youth Development grant in June.
Fifteen pupils were chosen for the council out of 31 applicants.
They will meet for the first time in September.
Cr Hawkins said the youth councillors would be ''establishing the format and systems we'll use in future years, and designing a programme that they find relevant and engaging''.
''This will hopefully include giving feedback on council plans and policies, as well as bringing new ideas forward for us to consider''.
He said Dunedinites ''dismiss the ideas and aspirations of our young people at our peril''.
''I'm excited by the new voices this group will bring to council's decision-making processes.''
