About the Australian Youth Forum
A young person from Perth who took part in the AYF consultations held in March-May 2008, told the Government the importance of the AYF was in its “Motivation and empowerment: giving young people the knowledge that they can have influence and make a difference in Australia.”
The Australian Youth Forum (AYF) is run by the Australian Government as a communication channel between the Government, young people (aged 15 – 24) and the organisations that work with, for and on behalf of young people (also known as the youth sector). It is about engaging young people and the youth sector in on-going public debate and getting their input to policy and decision making on issues that affect young people’s lives now and in the future.
The AYF engages young people through this website, and also in person at forums and community activities. It brings young people, the youth sector and the Australian Government closer together, and gives them an opportunity to be heard.
Get Involved
You’ve already taken the first step by jumping on the AYF website - have a look around and get your opinion out there. You can post your thoughts on the discussion boards, or suggest a topic that you’d like to see discussed.
You can also get your ideas across in person. Check out the news page to see if there’s an AYF event you can rock up to.
Not sure about something? Visit our FAQ page for more information.
Coming soon near you
There are also local youth events held across Australia. See what’s on.
How was the AYF developed?
On 17 March 2008 the Hon Kate Ellis MP, Minister for Youth, announced the creation of the AYF as a way for the Government, young people and the youth sector to communicate.
We want to give you a chance to share your ideas and speak to the Australian Government about issues and policies that affect all Australians. So when figuring out how the AYF should work, who better to ask than young people and youth organisations? From March to May 2008 we asked young people and the youth sector around the country what their views and visions were for the AYF.
These consultations were really successful. We ended up with a huge range of brilliant ideas and views which were carefully considered to ensure that the AYF meets the needs of young people and the youth sector.
The AYF was built on these views and ideas. It will continue to evolve in line with feedback from youth. Let us know what you think.
How does the AYF work?
Find out here.
How will I know that my ideas have been heard?
Ideas expressed through all elements of the AYF (website discussions/contributions, forum outcomes and issues coming from outreach visits) will be collated, analysed and fed back to young people in a number of ways, primarily via this website. Ideas will also be followed up in direct discussions with young people (for example at forums) and information will be distributed through youth networks.
The outcomes of the AYF activities and online discussions will also be fed through to the new Australian Government Office for Youth and the national youth peak. The Office for Youth works across all the Australian Government departments to create a greater focus on youth affairs. It will channel the information from the AYF to the relevant Australian Government agencies to ensure that they are taken into consideration in the context of Australian Government policy development. Feedback will be provided to the public on the AYF website, through the media and other forums.
Want to know more?
For more about the consultation process, click here.
To see the Consultation Key Outcomes and Priority Youth Issues, click here.