Youth Participation

The Premier announced Best Practice Principles for Youth Participation (20/06/07) directing Government decision makers to encourage young people to participate in Government decision-making.

Below are resources that may assist you in developing successful youth participations strategies:

All aBoard - produced by Commission for Children and Young People
- Looks at why and how organisations can involve children and young people on boards and committees.

Checking the Scoreboard - produced by the Commission for Children and Young People
- Helps you get feedback from both staff and children and young people involved with your organisation about what’s working and where participation activities could be added to or improved.

Conferences and Events - produced by the Commission for Children and Young People
- Helps you run events that make space for children and young people’s participation.

Consulting Citizens (2003) - produced by Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Citizens and Civics Unit, Government of Western Australia
- Outlines best practice guidelines for government agencies undertaking consultation.

Consulting Young People - a practical 'how to' guide for making focus groups fun, interesting, engaging and worthwhile.
 
Consulting young people about their ideas and opinions (2004) - produced by the Youth Affairs Council and the Office for Youth, Department for Victorian Communities
- A practical guide on how to consult young people.

Council staff & Councillors’ views about youth consultation (1999) - produced by the NSW Department of Local Government
- Presents the findings of a survey with Council staff and Councillors. The report outlines how Councils consulted young people, relevant issues and principles for effective consultation.

Count me in! - produced by the Commission for Children and Young People
- Looks at how organisations can involve children and young people in research.

Current Generation Youth Programs: What Works, What Doesn't and at What Cost (PDF 315KB) -  a report from the USA published in 2008.

Developing a Youth Council - a tool to assist Local Government in setting up a Youth Council to advise on youth related issues.  Also available for use are Youth Council Frequently Asked Questions and a Youth Council Application Form.

Engaging with young people: Local government in action (2004) - Department for Victorian Communities
- Showcases the way Councils can go about their role in engaging young people.

Getting young people on board: how government can engage with young people through boards and committees(2002) - produced by the Queensland Government      
- A practical guide for Government decision-making bodies about the 'why' and 'how' of including young people on government boards and committees.

How young people would like to be consulted (1998) - produced by the NSW Department of Local Government
- Presents findings from interviews with young people about how they would like to be consulted and what they would like to be consulted about.

How Local Councils consult with young people (1997) - produced by the NSW Department of Local Government
- Presents findings from a survey about which mechanisms are used by Councils to consult young people and the effectiveness of those mechanisms.

Meeting together-deciding together - produced by the Commission for Children and Young People
- How to involve children and young people in meetings where decisions are made that affect their lives, such as case-planning meetings.

NSW Youth Participation survey: final report (2004) - produced by the NSW Youth Advisory Council
- Presents findings of a survey of 2,400 young people about how they participate in decision making and would like to participate.

Promoting Children's Participation in Democratic Decision-Making (2001) - produced by UNICEF
- Offers information on how to involve children and young people in conferences. It also includes an overview of Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights Of The Child 12

Review of NSW Local Government Social Plans has been released by the NSW State Government to help local councils better consult and involve young people in the decisions which affect them. The report aims to assist local councils to better identify ways they can involve young people aged 12 to 25 at a local government level.

Sharing a New Story: Young people in Decision Making (2003) - produced by the Foundation for Young Australians
- Examines current thinking on "better practice" as well as a reflective toolkit that has been developed for working alongside young people.

Sharing the Stage - produced by the Commission for Children and Young People
- Explores the idea of participation and looks at five key elements that need to be in place for children and young people to participate effectively in decision-making.

Talking participation taking action: A local government guide to youth participation - produced by the Tasmanian Office of Children and Youth Affairs
- Outlines approaches to youth participation, case studies and research

Time We Started Talking            
- A guide to help young people organise a Youth Mental Health Forum to raise awareness about mental health issues.  Download the Guide (PDF 603KB) and get people along to your forum with this Poster (PDF 379KB).

Two-way street: how government departments can engage with young people through consultation (2002) - produced by the Queensland Government             
- A practical guide for Government departments about the 'why' and 'how' of consulting with young people.

Child and Youth Participation in Adult Organisations Resource - Produced by Unicef

Working Together: Involving Community and Stakeholders in Decision-Making (2006) - produced by the Government of Western Australia
- Outlines the most effective and appropriate ways of consulting the community.

Young people on boards and committees (2004) - produced by the Youth Affairs Council and the Office for Youth, Department for Victorian Communities
- Outlines the benefits and mechanisms of involving young people on boards and committees

Youth Consultation Guide - Produced by YouthSafe
- Provides practical tips on consulting with young people as well as a list of useful resources to assist in your consultation process. “If you want to know what we think, just ask us!”