Australian Government - Australian Youth Forum

The Prime Minister’s Australian Youth Forum (AYF) Challenge

On 22 October 2009 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Minister for Youth Kate Ellis launched a new national competition, The Prime Minister’s Challenge, to generate innovative ideas about how young people can mobilise and better connect with their local communities.

The challenge is about supporting and acknowledging young people as active members within their communities and providing them with opportunities to make contributions to fostering more vibrant, creative and cohesive communities.

Young people will be supported to engage in their local communities, seeking stronger partnerships with the community, local youth-related organisations and local businesses.

The Prime Minister’s Challenge supports the Government’s vision for all young people to grow up safe, healthy, happy and resilient.

Winners will be eligible for grants of up to $15,000 to put their ideas into action. The journey in doing this will be documented on film.

The Office for Youth will call for proposals for the Prime Minister’s AYF Challenge in early 2010. Details will appear on the AYF website and on youth.gov.au and the challenge will be broadly promoted across youth media and networks.

Frequently asked questions about the Prime Minister’s AYF Challenge

• What is the Prime Minister’s AYF Challenge?
• When will the competition commence?
• How will the competition be run?
• How will young people be chosen?
• How will it be ensured that the competition money will be used in a responsible way?
• How will the ‘Challenge’ being funded?
• How will young people be supported with their projects?
• How will ‘the ‘Challenge’ competition be promoted?

What is the Prime Minister’s AYF Challenge?
The Prime Minister’s AYF Challenge will be an annual competition run by the Office for Youth to gather innovative ideas from young Australians on how to mobilise young people in their local communities.
Entrants will be encouraged to put forward ideas that give young people in their areas the skills and experience they need to learn, work, engage in community life and be a part of decision-making that affects them.

When will the competition commence?
The annual Prime Minister’s Australian Youth Forum Challenge will commence in early 2010. Details on how and when to apply for the competition will be advertised on the youth.gov.au and AYF website, through email networks such as the Australian Youth Forum, youthGAS and the Australian Youth Information Network, together with promotion through other youth focused government websites, such as youthweek.com.

How will the competition be run?
Young Australians between the ages of 12 and 24 will be asked to propose projects that get young people engaged in their community and actively address local needs. Their ideas will need to be sustainable and to link in with organisations, local businesses and gain wider community support.

How will young people be chosen?
A panel of young people, youth workers and industry experts will shortlist the best ideas, with the Prime Minster and Minister Ellis choosing the final winners.

How will it be ensured that the competition money will be used in a responsible way?
As part of the application selection process, young people will be asked to demonstrate that their proposal is going to be sustainable beyond the initial judging and that they have engaged widely within their community to establish a demonstrated need and a viable plan. They will be asked to acquit their funding at the end of their project.

How will the ‘Challenge’ being funded?
The Prime Minister’s Challenge will be funded through the AYF budget and administered by the Office for Youth within Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).

How will young people be supported with their projects?
The Office for Youth will support the marketing and documentation of the young people’s initiatives.
Recipients of the funding will be asked to build relationships within their local community so that they have mentors available through the duration of their project.

How will ‘the ‘Challenge’ competition be promoted?
Details on how and when to apply for the competition will be advertised on the youth.gov.au and AYF website, email networks such as the AYF, youthGAS and the Australian Youth Information Network, together with promotion through other youth focused government websites, such as youthweek.com.