Young people speak up - The first Young People Direct Forum
On Saturday April 5, 2008 the Young People Direct Forum marked the first day of National Youth Week, led by a singing, rapping MC. Around 80 young people and 20 facilitators took part.
The forum aimed to give young people a voice in government. James Merlino, Minister for Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs opened the forum, which was held at Jasper Hotel in downtown Melbourne.
"Young People Direct was born out of the idea of giving young people a voice to tell the government about issues that affect them," Mr Merlino said.
"The Brumby Government believes young people do a lot for the community; every day I see young people involved. What is often forgotten is that young people are already helping others."
Giving the government first-hand information
As well as informing State Government policy, ideas from the forum will be passed on to the Federal Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis.
According to Mr Merlino YPD will ensure that the Government gets first hand information from young people.
Approximately 902,800 young people aged between 12 and 24 live in Victoria; we make up 18 per cent of Victoria's population.
Kat, 23, registered to become a participant to represent young people from the country.
"It's important to have a say at the government level because it gives young people the chance to speak for ourselves and friends and a chance to see what is already happening for young people and understand the process," Kat said.
There was a diversity of young people at the forum from all backgrounds and residence. Participants had travelled across the state from places including Ballarat, Lancefield, Kyabram, Maryborough, Mansfield, Melbourne and Werribee.
What was discussed at the forum?
Each participant at the program was asked to prioritise six issues from a list of 13. Of the 13 issues the following were ranked the most important:
- Education and training
- The environment
- Employment and careers
- The cost of living
- Mental health
- Drugs/alcohol
This is not to say that the other issues weren't important. Other issues identified by participants that weren't on the list included:
- Transport
- Multiculturalism
- Sex
- Human rights
- Equal opportunity
- Having a say
Interestingly, feeling safe was ranked last in the list of 13. This is a positive result. It proved that everyone in the room already felt safe where they lived and when they went out.
Participants discussed the top six issues and how the government, communities, corporations and individuals can contribute to seeking solutions.
Most of the young people involved were already part of youth councils or youth representative bodies. A main problem discussed was getting messages out to people who needed help the most.
As a follow-up to the forum young people who couldn't make it to the 5 April forum are invited to participate in the Young People Direct Online Forum between 8 and 16 April 2008. This online space allows you to have your say on the issues that were discussed on 5 April. Your comments will be incorporated in the final YPD report.
The plan is to have two YPD forums every year. Stay tuned to youthcentral for more information as it becomes available.
My Take
YPD showed me how much the government was doing for young people. Just the fact that we have an Office for Youth is cool and much more than what other countries have.
Today, the word "youth" still has negative connotations and we are often portrayed as 'bad' and 'in trouble' in the media. It is more than satisfying to me that the Minister for Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairs can say yes, youth are often shown in bad light by the media, but we acknowledge that young people are committed to helping the community.
For me, YPD was a wakeup call to say, "Hey you're not alone, you have a government that will listen to you and here is the avenue to express your opinion and ideas."
I encourage every young person to register for the second YPD forum, to be held later in 2008. Young people can make a difference, but to do so we must be heard!
Articles Written by Jenelle
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