- Youth Action Plan

Introduction

Helping young people to reach their full potential is a high priority for the NSW Government. We recognise that young people need support to maintain good health and wellbeing, access to education and strong community networks.

The NSW Youth Action Plan sets out the NSW Government’s plans to support young people over the next four years.

Young People in NSW - The facts according to the 2001 Census
Why a plan?
How the Government supports young people

Young people in NSW – the facts

According to the 2001 Census:

1,109,554 young people aged between 12 and 24 years lived in NSW, that’s 17.4 per cent of the State’s population
young people living in NSW make up 33 per cent of Australia’s total population of young people
around 2.7 per cent of young people in NSW are from Indigenous backgrounds
the Indigenous population in the State is younger than the general population, with 58 per cent aged under 25.

Young people in NSW are also culturally diverse with 19 per cent speaking a language other than English at home.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in Demography, New South Wales 2003 the number of young people aged 15 -24 in NSW has been increasing since 2000. The ABS said that this increase is probably a result of interstate and overseas migration.

Why a Plan?

On 14 November 2006 the Premier launched the State Plan to guide the delivery of Government services in NSW over the next 10 years. The State Plan’s goals, priorities and targets are important for all people in NSW including young people.

Of the 34 priorities identified in the State Plan, more than half have particular relevance to young people:

R1. reduced rates of crime, particularly violent crime
R2. reducing re-offending
R3. reduced levels of anti-social behaviour
R4. increased participation and integration into community activities
S1. improved access to quality health care
S3. improved health through reduced obesity, smoking, illicit drug use and risk drinking
S4. increasing levels of attainment for all students
S5. more students complete Year 12 or recognised vocational training
S7. safer roads
S8. increased customer satisfaction with Government services
F1. improved health and education for Aboriginal people
F3. improved outcomes in mental health
F4. embedding the principle of prevention and early intervention into Government service delivery in NSW
F5. reduced avoidable hospital admission
F7. reduced rates of child abuse and neglect
P1. increased business investment
P7. better access to training in rural and regional NSW to support local economies.
E8. more people using parks, sporting and recreational facilities and participating in arts and cultural activity.

The NSW Youth Action Plan has been developed to inform young people, their families and communities about the results which the NSW Government seeks to achieve for young people and the key actions it will implement over the next four years to achieve these results.

The Plan is for all young people in NSW, and it recognises that young people are a diverse group whose needs differ according to their background, age and interests.

To ensure that young people had a say in the Plan, we went out and spoke to many young people and youth organisations across NSW.

Some of the ways we gained input from young people included:

Youth Advisory Council members visiting young people in Wagga Wagga, Culcairn, Albury, Coffs Harbour, Macksville, Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Lake Burrendong, Trangie, Nyngan, Warren and Gilgandra, and consulting with more than 750 young people. The Action Plan’s theme of ‘Belonging’ was informed by young people who completed a survey at these consultations on the question “Who can I depend on?”.
two online forums hosted by the YAC. The first was about young people’s attitudes to racism and gathered ideas about ways to promote harmony in local communities. The second, undertaken with the support of the Minister for Disability Services the Hon. John Della Bosca MLC, provided a forum for young people with disabilities to talk about issues that affect them.
the email alert service ‘Have a say’ at the NSW Government’s youth web portal at www.youth.nsw.gov.au

The Youth Action Plan has been informed by consultations with the Local Government and Shires Associations and key State government agencies. The Plan also builds on the NSW Youth Policy 2002-2006, Working Together, Working for Young People.

How the Government supports young people

The NSW Government provides many services that help young people from health and education to community services and transport. We:

provide public and community health services, public and psychiatric hospitals, ambulance services, acute care, rehabilitation, counselling and many community support programs
deliver a wide range of high quality education and training services in schools and in NSW TAFE and help young people make a smooth transition from school to work or further study
work to make sure young people are safe and well, particularly those who are vulnerable and need help most. We provide services to help fix family problems early – before they get out of control – through our early intervention and prevention programs. Through more than 85 Community Services offices across NSW, we also work to protect young people at risk of harm and provide care for those unable to live with their families.
provide various free and concessional travel entitlements and subsidies to students, jobseekers, apprentices and trainees and young people with disabilities. We are working to ensure all young people have access to the same range of transport concessions on their local services
provide a range of housing solutions for young people in need
provide youth-specific sport, recreational and artistic programs and services and Arrive alive, the NSW Government’s youth road safety program.