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Involve - Youth Ministerial Advisory Committee

 

Information for applicants

The Hon. Ryan Smith MP, Minister for Youth Affairs, is looking for young people who are interested in becoming part of the new Involve Committee to provide advice on important matters affecting young Victorians.

What is the Involve Committee?

• The Involve Committee will be made up of 19 young Victorians aged 12-25 who are active in their local community and passionate about Victoria. Sixteen positions are open to all young Victorians who can apply for through an application round.
• The other three positions will be filled by representatives from the youth reference and advisory groups of the peak bodies for young people in Victoria - the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, the Centre for Multicultural Youth and the Victorian Indigenous Youth Advisory Council.
• The Involve Committee will speak with young people from across the state to help shape their advice, which will be presented to the Minister for Youth Affairs.
• The Involve Committee’s role is not about organising projects or events, although other opportunities to do this may result from involvement in the Involve Committee.

Why get Involved?

• Meet the Minister for Youth Affairs and share your insights and advice.
• Meet and hear from other young people from across the state.
• Get an inside view of how change happens in Government.
• Use and build your skills to benefit the community.

Who are we looking for?

• Eight young people aged 12-17 from across Victoria.
• Eight young people aged 18-25 from across Victoria.

We are interested in having members with different life experiences and from different areas of the state on the Involve Committee. This includes representation of women, indigenous Victorians, Victoria’s culturally diverse community and Victorians living with a disability.

Things to think about before applying

Do I have the time needed to do this?
The commitment to be on the Involve Committee is for 18 months (July 2013 - December 2014).

Being part of the Involve Committee requires a large time commitment and there is a minimum attendance requirement. It is important for you to be realistic about whether you have the time to commit to the Involve Committee. Being a part of the Involve Committee means:

• Attending 12 meetings on a Friday evening over an 18-month period.
• Presenting to the Minister for Youth Affairs four times over an 18-month period.
• Participating in one induction and planning event on Friday 12 July (evening) & Saturday 13 July 2013 (all day), one review session and one celebration event with the Involve Committee (dates to be determined).
• Attending training sessions for the Involve Committee.
• Communicating with other Involve Committee members between meetings.
• Going out to talk to other young people about what they think and bringing this information back to the meetings.

Will it cost me anything?
As the Involve Committee meetings will be in the city, the Office for Youth in the Department of Human Services will cover reasonable travel expenses.

The meetings are on Friday evenings, so if you live more than three hours away, then we can also arrange to pay for your overnight stay if necessary. If this is the case and if you are under 18 years of age you will need to be accompanied by a parent, guardian or staff member from the Office for Youth.

Members of Involve Committee will also be paid a ‘sitting fee’ for monthly meetings, including presentations to the Minister. If you happen to work for the state government, you may not be eligible for this payment.

Application process

How do I apply?

1. Applications must be received by Monday 11 March 2013 and should include:

a. Your completed online application form or printed / emailed application form (doc, 237kb) ;and
b. Contact details for a professional contact who can be your referee (e.g. teacher, employer, youth worker, coach, mentor etc).

2. Group interviews with shortlisted candidates will take place on a weekend in early to mid-March 2013.

3. Successful candidates will be assisted to complete all the necessary paperwork for being on a government committee. This includes a police check. The cost of this will be covered by the Office for Youth.

4. Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their applications in June 2013.

5. For more information or to submit completed applications, please contact:

Office for Youth
Department of Human Services
PO Box 4057 Melbourne VIC 3000

youth@dhs.vic.gov.au
(03) 9096 1712

More About Involve

The Involve Committee is the Victorian Government's youth advisory group. They provide advice on a regular basis to the Minister for Youth Affairs about issues that affect young people.

Who's On the Involve Committee?

• Ask young people what they think about different topics
• Meet with people from government and the community
• Develop advice to present to the Minister for Youth Affairs

Members of the Involve committee sign up for 18 months and will meet once a month. The committee will be made up of 18 young people who are representative of young Victorians aged 12-25 from all walks of life.

The first Involve Committee was announced by the Minister for Youth Affairs on Friday the 20th of January 2012, and began meeting in February 2012.

A Full list of appointees and their profiles are available to download as a Word Document (.doc 65kb). They're also listed on the Meet the Involve Committee page.

Want to Get Involved?

It's not just Involve Committee members who can get involved in making a difference in the community. There are heaps of ways you can get involved, from organising a gig in your local area, to working with local government on youth issues, or hotly debating topics in Youth Parliament.

The Victorian Government is supporting and celebrating young people's desire to get involved in their community, by providing opportunities for young people to be involved in volunteering and decision-making at the local community and state level, and supporting communities and agencies across state government to successfully involve young people in their voluntary and decision-making activities.

The following are a few ways that you can participate in Victorian Government programs which support your involvement.

Actively contribute to your community through volunteering

• The Advance school volunteer program lets government school students from year 9 to 12 get actively involved in the local community
• The FReeZA program (new window) helps you to organise your own gigs, shows, exhibitions and events in your local area.
• I Can Do That! (new window) is the Victorian Government's volunteering portal, listing lots of opportunities to volunteer in your local community

Be recognised for your contributions to our community as a young person

• Taking place in April every year, National Youth Week is a week-plus of events organised by young Victorians to celebrate and acknowledge their contributions to the community

Become involved in State Government decision making, and decision making in local communities

• Youth Parliament is a great opportunity to take the reins of government and see how Parliament works first-hand while creating and debating legislation that is important and relevant to you
• Every year the National Youth Week grants award funding to NYW events that are managed by and for young people, and every year young Victorians are closely involved in the selection of successful grant applicants
• The Youth Action Strategy grants program for local government provides rural and regional areas with ways to support the involvement of young people in local decision making

For more information on the Involve committee, please call 9935 3009 during business hours.

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