The Federal Government funds a number of youth oriented programs for 12 to 25 year olds to get you involved in the development of youth policy and to showcase your artistic talents in a number of different forums.
noise
noise (new window) is a unique national youth media arts festival, hanging creative works across the media, rather than on gallery walls.
In partnership with over 80 media and arts organisations, the festival profiles young artists and exhibits their works on radio and television, in print and online forging a contemporary link between artists, audiences and new art forms.
noise showcases writing, animation, e-works, images, moving pictures, DJ sets, zines, spoken word and new and remixed music - created by young Australians and projected to a national audience of over 15 million.
noise began its life as the Loud Festival in 1999 and returned as noise in 2001 and again in October 2003. noise is a Federal Government initiative managed by the Australia Council (new window).
Remixing the old. Retrofying the new. Reconstituting the outdated. From pencils to pixels, scissors to samplers, noise reflects the modern creative canvas. Check it out!
The Program
The Program (new window) is all about sparking connections between young people and the arts community. Recognising that arts and creativity mean something different for everyone. One man's opera is another man's grunge; oils to one woman, is pixels to another.
They're interested in hearing from you - the site is your space to express yourself creatively and critically. You can put up your own stories, post events you're involved in, review what you've seen lately, and comment on stories or artistic incidents. So you can tell them and the site community, what you're into artistically, what your thoughts, dreams, inspirations, obsessions, fascinations and creative triggers are.
They'll be hunting for the best on offer from the worlds of music, film, dance, words, exhibitions, festivals, markets, comedy, physical theatre, animation, graffiti art, DJing, design, fashion and much more.
As well as turning the spotlight in the direction of the creative industries, The Program also looks at what it takes to earn a living doing what you want to do. This site checks out how others have done it and scope the steps and realities involved like courses of study, funding sources, competitions, opportunities, day jobs, resources and other issues.
National Youth Week
National Youth Week (NYW) (new window) is a National, State, Territory and Local Government initiative that gives young people aged 12 to 25 an opportunity to express their ideas and views, act on issues that affect their lives and have a lot of fun. Find out more on our 'National Youth Week' page in this section.
National YMCA Youth Parliament
The National YMCA Youth Parliament (new window) program brings together teams of young people from around Australia and takes them through the entire process of presenting a Bill to the whole Youth Parliament. Check out first hand what it's like to be a real politician and follow real political processes. Who knows - you might even get a taste for a career in politics! The site explains all about the program and how the process works and provides links to state contacts so you can get on board for the next round of team selections.
Other links
The Source - Involve
This section of The Source has a full listing of national youth programs and sites including National Youth Week, Young Australian of the Year and the National Indigenous Youth Leadership Group. The Federal Government's Youth Portal provides access to online information on Commonwealth Government services, programs, research, policies, events and publications for and about young people aged 12 to 25 years. The Australia Council site provides information about the initiatives they support and the Young People and the Arts Policy.
Australia Council: Young People & the Arts
Young People and the Arts is about a vision and ambition for the artistic practices of young people and children in Australia.
