As 2011 has come to a close, it's now time for the current AYF Steering Committee Members to say goodbye and welcome 10 outstanding new young people to the team.

Last year was pretty hectic for the AYF, so we've summarised it all to show you what we've been up to.

We'd first like to applaud the Federal Minister for Youth, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and within it, the Office for Youth, for their continued support of young people. It is clear the Federal Government has a vested interest in nurturing youth engagement and participation and it has been our pleasure as a Steering Committee to be a vessel through which that goal can be achieved.

Now in its third year, the AYF Steering Committee has worked hard to cement its position as the official channel for young people to communicate with the Federal Government. With the support of the Office for Youth, the 2011 Steering Committee has developed a social media presence and has taken steps to create awareness of the AYF’s aims among young people and youth organisations around Australia.

To ensure young people can have their say where it matters most, Steering Committee members have focused on gathering youth perspectives on issues that feature on the Government’s agenda. Throughout the year, young people have made incredibly valuable contributions to discussion topics in an effort to ‘be heard’ by Government.

With over 3.7 million young people in this country, the message of the AYF and its purpose must be spread far and wide in order to be effective. The 2011 Steering Committee has only just scratched the surface; there are still countless opinions to be captured on a myriad of topics – both directly youth-focused and otherwise – and this must be the focus of the AYF going forward.

As young people progress through the 15-24 age bracket, so too do their views; with new experiences come new perspectives and this must be recognised for the work of the AYF to be relevant. Flexibility and fluidity is paramount to successful communication between young people and Government.

Beyond this, the AYF must be responsive. It is not enough for young people just to have their say – they must be part of a two-way conversation, where Government reports back on the issues and demonstrates that they are listening and taking action.

In the AYF's 2011 Final Report, the 2011 Steering Committee has demonstrated key lessons learnt throughout the year and has identified five key areas of improvement and opportunity, incorporating recommendations that will bring the AYF closer to truly achieving its mandate. These recommendations will:

• increase the AYF’s impact
  
• further increase awareness of the AYF
  
• extend the AYF’s reach
  
• provide training and professional development for Steering Committee members
  
• focus on transparency and productivity

The outgoing Steering Committee met with the Minister for Youth in early December and urged him to consider the recent AYF evaluation and our recommendations. We encourage the Federal Government to implement these changes to ensure the AYF is a world leader in youth engagement and participation.

I would like to say a huge congratulations to the incoming AYF Steering Committee members and wish them the best of luck for the year ahead. It's not an easy job - but it's definitely worth it.

Tahlia Azaria
2011 Chair, AYF Steering Committee