The Office for Youth delivers a range of initiatives to help young Australians reach their full potential and to engage with their families and the community.
On this page, you will find information on different types of youth programs, projects and initiatives.
National Strategy for Young Australians
The National Strategy for Young Australians sets out the Government’s vision for all young Australians to grow up safe, happy, healthy and resilient and to have the opportunities and skills they need to learn, work, engage in community life and influence decisions that affect them.
The strategy provides a framework to inform the Australian Government’s efforts for and investment in, young Australians.
For more information you can download the National Strategy for Young Australians.
Australian Youth Forum
The Australian Youth Forum (AYF) is about enabling young Australians to communicate their ideas, thoughts and opinions to the Australian Government.
The AYF model of engagement is intended to be a socially inclusive one; about increasing participation, reducing disadvantage and importantly, providing a greater voice for young people.
By working directly with young people, and by linking-in with the different parts of government, the AYF is working towards ensuring that important Australian Government policies and programs take the views of young people into consideration.
An important element of the AYF model is its flexibility. It uses the following range of techniques to ensure that young people can have their say on issues that affect them.
- Face to face meetings: The AYF meets young people directly through meetings, events and forums. The focus of face to face meetings is to engage with young people on their own place.
- E-newsletter: The fortnightly AYF newsletter provides a regular update on consultations, events and news in the youth space. Anyone can sign-up to receive the free e-newsletter
- AYF website: The AYF has its own website. www.youth.gov.au. The site enables young people all over Australia to have a say at a time that suits them. Through:
- Discussion topics – comments placed on the discussion board, may be used to provide case studies for AYF submissions and reports to government and government agencies.
- On-line surveys – survey monkey questionnaires are regularly posted online to support discussion topics and face to face meetings being conducted by the AYF. Survey monkey is a popular avenue for receiving information. It is an ideal tool for judging the strengths of opinion on a particular topic.
- Events calendar – the AYF calendar tool allows young people to promote their event to young people across Australia.
- Email box – for any type of correspondence with the AYF team.
- AYF Steering Committee: A significant element of the AYF model is the AYF Youth Engagement Steering Committee. The Steering Committee consists of ten young people aged between 15 and 24 years of age. The main role of the Steering Committee is to support youth engagement. The Steering Committee works to inform young people about how they can have their voices heard at the Federal Government level in the most effective way possible. A new Steering Committee is selected each year through an open selection process.
- Facebook: The AYF Steering Committee runs the AYF Facebook page which includes updates on what each of the Steering Committee are doing in their communities.
For more information on the AYF, visit the Australian Youth Forum website.
The Transition to Independent Living Allowance (TILA)
TILA helps young people exiting formal/informal care to transition to independent living through enhanced access to accommodation, employment/education and the development of life skills/knowledge. Up to $1,500 is available to young people, aged between 15 to 25 years who are about to, or have exited, state-based care and/or informal care such as:
- Juvenile justice;
- Out-of-home care; or
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Kinship care arrangements.
More information regarding this program, including the latest application form, is available from the Transition to Independent Living Allowance website.
Youth Development and Support Program
The Youth Development and Support Program (YDSP) is an annual national program designed to provide financial support to non-government, not-for-profit organisations to deliver community-based projects to develop young people by creating practical and innovative opportunities in their communities.
The Program funds eligible organisations to support initiatives that inspire and encourage young people aged between 12 and 25 years to develop skills and connections within their communities.
MCEETYA Youth Working Group
The Australian Government is represented on the Ministerial Council of Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) Youth Taskforce by the Office for Youth. The MCEETYA Youth Working Group is a cross-jurisdictional body focused on youth issues, with representatives from the Australian Government and all state and territory governments.
National Youth Week
NYW is a joint Australian, State, Territory and Local Government initiative held every year since 2000 and is the largest celebration of young people on the Australian calendar. The overall aim of NYW is to "celebrate and recognise the value of all young Australians within their communities", encouraging young Australians aged 12-25 to celebrate youth, recognise the positive contributions they make to their communities and voice concerns or issues relevant to them. Young people can be involved in NYW through organising events, attending the national launch, entering the competitions or participating in all kinds of local events.
More information on NYW is available at www.youthweek.com.
Initiatives to Promote Positive Body Image
The Australian Government is committed to supporting the health, happiness and resilience of young Australians. This includes undertaking work to promote positive body image.
Body image is an issue of concern to young people. Research tells us that negative body image can affect self-esteem and general well-being, inhibit participation in social activities and lead to serious health issues such as depression and social isolation.
This is why the Australian Government is taking action to promote positive body image and to build young people’s resilience to negative body image pressures.
Visit www.youth.gov.au/bodyimage for more information.
Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies (ACYS)
The ACYS focuses on collecting information about key issues and practices in the youth field for access by the community. The Australian Government provides youth clearinghouse services to support youth organisations, youth workers, youth researchers and young people themselves.
The ACYS provides research, news and developments on best-practice in the youth field, encouraging networking, discussions and collaboration. The youth sector relies on these resources to strengthen their youth related work.
There are three main ACYS products and services:
- a quarterly journal titled Youth Studies Australia (YSA);
- a monthly electronic newsletter, Youth Field Xpress (YFX); and
- a website on youth research and statistics.
Most ACYS products and services are available to the public, free of charge, (except for subscriptions to the Youth Studies Australia (YSA) journal).
More information on ACY and these publications can be found at the Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies website.
National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (NYARS)
NYARS conducts nationally based research into factors affecting young people. NYARS reports are funded by the Australian, state and territory governments to provide governments and the youth sector with evidence on youth issues.
NYARS reports are available on the Publications page
The Australia 2020 Youth Summit
The Australia 2020 Youth Summit enabled young Australians to engage in discussions about the nation’s future direction, with the opportunity to influence the discussion and outcomes of the Australia 2020 Summit. The final report of the Australia 2020 Summit was provided to Government.
Further information about the Australia 2020 Youth Summit is available at the Australia 2020 website.