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youTHINK

Young people share their ideas at youTHINK live & online

On 12 November 2009, the Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis, Myf Warhurst from Spicks and Specks and co-founder of The Oaktree Foundation Nic MacKay joined with young Australians from across the country to continue the National Conversation to inform development of the National Strategy for Young Australians.

The youTHINK: live & online forum involved one hundred young people at the live event held at the Telstra Experience Centre in Sydney. They were then joined by an estimated 2000+ young people participating in the event online from their schools, universities, community centres or the comfort of their own lounge room.

The event allowed Minister Ellis to present and gather further responses to some of the ideas that have been submitted by young people so far during National Conversation roundtables, forums and online discussions.

Watch the video sequence from the National Conversation Parliament House Roundtables.

Through the innovative use of webcasting and online interactive polling, participants had the opportunity to consider and vote on these ideas and suggestions.

Participants also took part in open discussions about how the Government can empower young people to shape their own future, with some great new ideas also being explored.

The discussion and polling provides important feedback from young people on the key issues that the National Strategy for Young Australians needs to address on three key areas of ‘Families and Communities’, ‘Employment and Education’ and ‘Looking after yourself and others’.

You can watch the webcasted footage from the forum.

You can see photos from the forum in the youTHINK: live & online Image gallery.

If you weren’t able to take part in this event, don’t worry - you can still have your say by visiting the AYF website.

youTHINK: Your Say – 30 June 2009

Building on the success of the inaugural youTHINK forum held in February, youTHINK: Your Say saw more than 1000 young people in over 30 locations across Australia, participate in discussions facilitated by the Australian Government, in partnership with the Salvation Army.

Young people contributed their ideas around four themes: youth homelessness, the impact of the global recession on young people, the federal Government’s Compact with Young Australians and access to government services.
youTHINK: Your Say was a chance for young people to speak out about the issues which are important to them and to engage in conversations about practical solutions. Many participants were young people facing financial disadvantage and other significant challenges.

More than 200 young people attended the event’s central location at Melbourne Town Hall where participants were addressed by Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, Kate Ellis. Participants around the country also watched a video message from the Prime Minister.

Participants utilised the Salvation Army’s national network to put forward their views through videoconferencing and had a chance to check out the Salvation Army’s portable youth centre – the 614 Bus.

But the action wasn’t limited to Melbourne with hundreds of young people participating in youTHINK: Your Say in Sydney, Queanbeyan, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne (Box Hill), Newcastle, Adelaide and Darwin with young people in regional areas utilising Centrelink’s video conferencing facilities to share their ideas.

There is still a chance for you to comment on these themes by visiting the Ideas Boards. Online discussion closed 8 September 2009.
 

youTHINK: – 20 February 2009

Youth across Australia join forces for first youTHINK forum

On Friday 20 February, hundreds of young Australians from across the country attended the inaugural Australian Youth Forum (AYF) event – youTHINK – hosted by the Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis.

In an Australian first, the ten locations where the event was held were linked by satellite, enabling young people in every capital city as well as Cairns and Alice Springs to participate in a truly national conversation.

youTHINK was created by young Australians for young Australians through the AYF Steering Committee, who helped design an event that encouraged young people to not only speak out on important issues but to also be a part of a conversation about practical solutions.

“I want to thank each and every person who attended youTHINK for taking the time to come along and give their insights and help direct responses to the issues that matter most to them,” said Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis.
“It was a great experience to be involved in an event that came up with so many terrific new ideas and generated so much energy at every venue around Australia.

“From the Government’s perspective, youTHINK was a great way to engage with young Australians – on the issues that affect them, now and into the future.

Enthusiastic participants talked up a storm during the event, with the discussion topics “Violence and Safety” and “Contributing to our Democracy”, sparking passionate and intelligent debate.

The discussion topics are also online at www.youth.gov.au/ayf, so if you were not able to make it to youTHINK on the day, you can still go to the website to have your say.

The satellite link up was kicked off by dynamic Master of Ceremonies, Fuzzy (Faustina Agolley) from Video Hits, who joined a crowd of around 120 young people at the host event in Sydney.

Young Australian of the Year, Jonty Bush, shared her unique experiences with attendees, speaking about her work as Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Homicide Victims’ Support Group and her personal experiences.

Other speakers included Jono Chase from Step Back, Think, a Melbourne group of young people committed to addressing violence and improving public safety and Morgan Forrest, the NSW President of the United Nations Youth Association, about the importance of young people making a contribution to our democracy, and Angus McFarland, member of the AYF Steering Committee.

In the discussion about “Violence and Safety”, participants spoke about the need for better understanding between young people and authority figures, like the police, through training. They also talked about the need for awareness raising campaigns about violence, and the links with alcohol abuse. Participants also said that because young people are more exposed to the media than ever before, they are also more exposed to violence and its impact.

In the “Contributing to our Democracy” discussion, participants spoke about making our democracy relevant and accessible for young people, including by learning more about it at school. Many talked about the need to involve young people in decisions about their shared future – as well as making our system of government more relevant and meaningful to them. Participants also had a number of suggestions to improve the participation of young people in the electoral process, including through better enrolment process and lowering the voting age.

Participants also highlighted the importance of communicating to young people in ways that are accessible to them – through digital media like YouTube and Facebook, to reach out to every young Australian rather than just the “usual suspects”.

The success of youTHINK demonstrates what the Australian Youth Forum is all about – a program run by young Australians, for young Australians – helping to connect them with Governments on their own turf and in their own communities.

There are so many opportunities for young people to get involved – by attending events, joining online discussions and being involved in their local community. youTHINK is just the start of our continuous conversation.

Keep checking www.youth.gov.au/ayf for regular updates and feedback on the many ideas that were raised at youTHINK.

Kate Ellis
Minister for Youth

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