Australian Government - Australian Youth Forum

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News and Events

New Topic! – 23 July 2010

The Productivity Commission is examining how the current system of disability services might be replaced with a new national disability care and support scheme. Have your Say.

Report on Youth Violence Inquiry – 16 July 2010

On Friday 16 July 2010, the House of Representatives Family, Community, Housing and Youth Committee released its report on the inquiry into the impact of violence on young people. The report, Avoid the Harm – Stay Calm, can be accessed from the Australian Parliament website.

The Hon Kate Ellis MP, Minister for Youth, initiated the inquiry following feedback from young people, through the Australian Youth Forum (AYF), that violence and personal safety is one of their top concerns.

The outcomes of the 20 February 2009 AYF youTHINK event focusing on Violence and Safety were provided to the Committee as a direct channel between the views of young people and this important inquiry.

Count Me In! Launched today – 16 July 2010

Count Me In! run by UNYA Australia and supported by the Australian Youth Forum, aims to get young people enrolled before the rolls are closed.

From 16 to 25 July, Electoral Ambassadors will be racing around each State and Territory encouraging young people to enrol to vote.

Once the roll for the election is closed, if you’re not on it, you can’t vote.

Enrol to vote NOW via the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website.

To count yourself in, visit UNYA’s Count Me In! website.

Tell us how to make it easier to enrol – discuss enrolment on the AYF Ideas Board.

Join the Count Me In! facebook page

Enrolling to Vote - 15 July 2010

We want your thoughts on what young people need to know about enrolling to vote, how we should spread the word, as well as what stops young people enrolling.

Your thoughts and ideas will help us plan our youth enrolment activities – and we want you to be involved in the strategies that affect you!

Discuss now

Productivity Commission Report - 12 July 2010

Recent Announcements – on 23 June 2010 the Australian Government released the 2010 Productivity Commission Report to into Gambling for consideration by States, Territories, industry and the wider community.

The AYF discussion topic on Gambling, held between 4 September and 6 November 2009, contributed to the recommendations made by the Commission. The Report is available on the Productivity Commission’s website.

Count Me In! Enrolment to vote – 09 July 2010

Voting is your way to directly influence what happens with the Australian Government.

The United Nations Youth Association (UNYA) understands how important it is to enrol to vote. The “Count Me In!” enrolment to vote initiative, supported by the AYF, urges you to enrol NOW.

Once an election is called, you won’t have much time to enrol. Once the roll for the election is closed, if you’re not on it, you can’t vote.

Enrol to vote NOW via the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website.

To count yourself in, visit UNYA’s Count Me In! website.

Young Australian of the Year

The Australian Youth Forum is proud to be the major sponsor of the Young Australian of the Year Award. This award celebrates the amazing achievements and accomplishments of young people across Australia.

This is your opportunity to recognise an inspirational young person, who through their own commitment and passion has achieved extraordinary things.

Nominees for Young Australian of the Year need to be Australian citizens aged between 16 to 30. Other award categories you can nomination for are Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year and Australia’s Local Hero.

Visit the Australian of the Year website to submit a nomination for the Young Australian of the Year, or pick up a form from the Commonwealth Bank. Nominations Close 31 August 2010.

PM’s AYF Challenge 2010 Winners – 30 June 2010

Today the Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis announced the winners of the 2010 PM’s AYF Challenge. For more information on the six winning projects, visit the PM’s AYF Challenge page.

INITIATE The Future

The Australian Youth Forum (AYF) will be presenting a workshop at the INITIATE The Future, youth leadership conference organised by AIESEC Australia on Friday 9 July in Sydney.

INITIATE The Future is a one day conference for young leaders who would like to network, promote projects or ideas and gain the skills to implement them. The conference will feature guest speakers including the Hon Bob Carr and Tim Costello and provide the opportunity for participants to attend workshops run by organisations including The Lowy Institute, Teach For Australia, Volunteering Australia, the Oaktree Foundation and the AYF.

Registrations are limited to 500, with applications closing on Thursday 1 July 2010.

More information about the conference and registration is available at Initiate The Future

Your views on the Indigenous Education Action Plan

The Minister’s response and a summary of the ideas and suggestions you contributed to the consultation on the Indigenous Education Action Plan is now available.

Rock Enrol – be a part of it – 11 June 2010

Here’s your chance to make your opinion count. Enrol to vote and have your say at this year’s Federal Election.

Triple J is working with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to get the message out to all young Australians – enrol to vote today!

Rock Enrol was kicked off for 2010 by Triple J’s breakfast presenters Tom and Alex. All the info you need about enrolling to vote is up on the website - even Tom and Alex reminisce about when they first enrolled to vote...

In Australia it's compulsory to vote – but more importantly it’s your right to have a say in who runs your country.

Once the election is announced you won't have much time to enrol. So enrol now and be ready to vote. It’s so easy you can do it in 3 quick steps:

Go to www.aec.gov.au/enrol
Complete the online form, print and sign it
Return it to the AEC.

It’s that easy! So no excuses – enrol today and have your say.

Join the Big Conversation ~ Australia’s National Values Survey – 14 May 2010

What values best reflect how we want our society to operate? What values do we want our society to have in the future? We want to know what young Australians think. We want to start a conversation. A Big Conversation! We invite you to have your say in Australia’s nation-wide values survey. The survey is online and takes about 10 minutes. Join thousands of others at the Big Conversation and have your say.

AYF supports The Oaktree Foundation to help Make Poverty History – 8 May 2010

From Saturday 8 May 2010, 1,000 young people are embarking on a nationwide week-long road trip to help end extreme poverty – read more about it.

Education initiatives to ensure all Australians have access to information about human rights announced today - 21 April 2010

In early 2009, the AYF hosted a discussion topic on Human Rights as part of the National Human Rights Consultation. Your ideas were provided to the Consultation Committee as a formal submission.

Today, the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland outlined Australia’s Human Rights Framework in response to the Consultation Committee’s report.

As part of the framework, the Minister for Education, Julia Gillard and the Attorney-General announced a number of education initiatives to ensure all Australians have access to information about human rights.

Have your say in Brisbane – AYF Outreach events in Caboolture and Ipswich – 21-22 April 2010

Minister for Youth, the Hon Kate Ellis MP, is inviting young people to discuss mental health, social inclusion, violence and safety and the portrayal of young people in the media as well as local issues at the AYF Outreach events in Caboolture and Ipswich, Queensland. We will provide more information to you after these events.

AYF Outreach - Caboolture

When:
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Registration from 12:30pm to 1:00pm
Discussions will run from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Light refreshments will be served from 12:30pm.

Where:
QUT Caboolture Campus
J Block Room – J1.15
Caboolture QUEENSLAND

AYF Outreach - Ipswich

When:
Thursday 22 April 2010
Registration from 11:30am to 12:00pm
Discussions will run from 12:00pm to 3:00pm
Light refreshments will be served from 11:30am.

Where:
Metro Hotel Ipswich International
43 South St (Cnr Foote Lane)
Ipswich QUEENSLAND

AYF visits Alice Springs – 06 April 2010

On Saturday 27 March, the AYF took part in Alice Springs’ One Night Stand free concert hosted by Triple J and the Alice Springs Town Council. The AYF’s “Friends Meeting Place” marquee provided water, lollipops and a chance for young people to express what’s important to them.

See what young people in Alice Spring shared...

Win a $250 JB Hi-Fi voucher with Carers Australia - 16 April 2010

Are you 12 - 25? Do you care for a family member or friend with a disability, mental health issue, long term illness or who has an alcohol or other drug problem? Let Carers Australia know what you think can be done to better support young carers for your chance to win. Competition closes midnight on Sunday May 9 2010.

Minister Ellis releases the National Strategy for Young Australians - 14 April 2010

Developed in consultation with young Australians and the broader community the Strategy is a clear statement about why the Australian Government values young people and how it plans to support them into the future.

Minister Ellis calls for entries for the Prime Minister’s Australian Youth Forum Challenge - 13 April 2010

Do you have an idea to get young people involved in your community? Are you 12-24?... Step up to the PM’s AYF Challenge and you could win $15,000 to turn your idea into reality.

AYF and National Youth Week 2010 – 12 April 2010

National Youth Week (NYW) was launched on Saturday 10 April simultaeously in Parramatta (NSW) and Victor Harbor (SA). This year, the AYF is a NYW partner, sponsoring the “DesignIT”, the National Talent Competition for graphic design. The theme for DesignIT 2010 is ‘Share Our World’, which encourages you to show everyone about whats important to you in your world. Check out the AYF at the NYW launch or get more info on the NYW competitions on the NYW website.