In July 2022 we held a Central Great Southern sector forum in Katanning, followed by a Great Southern sector forum in Albany in August 2022. The aim of both was to bring the youth sector together and strengthen connections through networking. Through a series of workshops, we had conversations around the strengths, challenges and opportunities relating to young people and the youth sector in these communities. In a different format to previous Youth Sector Forums YACWA has held, this time we did not divide tables by topics (ie. mental health, education, youth justice). We had 36 attendees in Katanning, and 60 attendees in Albany. This report is a snapshot of what we heard from participants across both forums.
The Hon Dr Anne Aly MP – Federal Minister for Youth, provides a keynote message for the inaugural 2022 YACWA Great Southern Youth Sector Forum in Albany. The forum brought together members of the youth sector who support the region, to get a current snapshot of the community needs.
The Hon Dr Anne Aly shares insight into the series of national round tables she is engaging in, listening to young people about what matters most to them and changes they want to see. The Minister also discusses the establishment of the Youth Engagement Model, providing strong formalised engagement with government and policy makers across portfolios and ranges of issues that matter to young people. As part of this, Dr Anne Aly is working towards re-establishing the Office for Youth to provide a dedicated unit within government, with contributions from young people to advocate and harmonise across government.
The Minister also shares her insights into some of the challenges young people across Australia have been experiencing and in particular the barriers young people living in Albany are impacted by.
