TEGY - Youthpolicy.org

1 NATIONAL STRATEGYFOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANSJOINT FOREWORDBY pm AND mINISTER ELLISWe are both very proud to be releasing the National Strategy for Young in young people is essential to prepare Australia and its people for the challenges of the future. Providing young Australians with the support they need to succeed is part of governing in the long-term national interest. We are determined to elevate the quality and rigour of australian Government policy making for young people and we want to do so hand in hand with young people. This Strategy will help guide future government policy making to ensure that young people s needs and perspectives are taken into account in all government business and that we have an eye for the consequences of tomorrow as well as today. Growing up is a challenge and the transition to adulthood can be a difficult one for some young people. This Strategy recognises that today s generation of young Australians face new and unique challenges challenges like different social and family patterns, rapidly changing technology, an evolving labour market and climate change.

2 The Strategy builds on the work of the australian Government since the establishment of the Office for Youth. Importantly, the Strategy also reflects what young people themselves have been telling us through the australian Youth Forum. We would like to thank the thousands of young Australians, their families and the youth sector for their valuable input into this important document. The National Strategy for Young Australians reaffirms the commitment we all share to ensure that young people develop the confidence, resilience and skills they need to be involved and productive citizens. Our aim has been to capture young people s perspectives on what matters most to them and also to carve out a clear role for both young people and government for taking action in the future. It is essential that we work together to prepare young people for the challenges that will be faced by Australia in the future an Australia that young people will Australians have a tremendous amount to offer this country and it is through them that the long-term safety, stability and promise of our nation will be Hon Kate Ellis MP Minister for YouthThe Hon Kevin Rudd Prime MinisterVISIONThE A USTRALIAN GOvERNmENT S vISION IS FOR ALL YOUNG pEOpLE TO GROw Up SAFE, hEALThY, hAppY AND RESILIENT AND TO hAvE ThE OppORTUNITIES AND SkILLS ThEY NEED TO LEARN, wORk.

3 ENGAGE IN c OmmUNITY LIFE AND INFLUENcE DEcISIONS ThAT AFFEcT a youth strategy 2 Being a young australian 4shoWcasing the youth sector 6young people s perspective on the strategy 8immediate priorities for action 12 Where to from here 33 BiBliography 34 The National Strategy for Young Australians articulates the australian Government s aspiration for all young people to grow up safe, healthy, happy and resilient. It aims to guide future government policy making to ensure that this aspiration can become a reality for all young Australians. This Strategy is also an important part of providing a youth perspective on the Government s broader agenda for building a stronger, fairer and healthier Australia, the Education Revolution, Closing the Gap on Indigenous disadvantage, and preparing for the challenges of the future. The Strategy draws on a range of evidence and experience to describe how we can build communities that equip young Australians to take on new responsibilities and to fully participate in all aspects of australian YOuNG pERSON mATTERSY oung people aged 12 to 24 make up a fifth of our population and are important to our society.

4 They are valuable now and the way they develop will influence the type of adults they will become. It is in all our interests and our responsibility to support young people and provide them with every opportunity to A YOuTH STRATEGYY outh is an important life stage in human development. It covers a wide age range, with young people entering as children and moving through adolescence on their way to becoming independent adults. It is a significant period of development physically, psychologically, emotionally and socially. It is also a period of enormous change in how young people relate to themselves, each other and the world around them. At this time, most young people question their identity, values, interests and In the quest to find answers to these questions young people experiment and re-negotiate multiple relationships. They navigate transitions from home to independent living, school to work, single to partnered and form families of their NEW cHALLENGESThe challenges of growing up span generations and cultures, however every generation also faces their own specific challenges.

5 For this current generation, being young involves tackling some unprecedented challenges including climate change, terrorism, ageing societies and infrastructure, changing job markets, technological advances, the increasing influence of popular culture and changing family and social structures. Two of the most significant challenges young people face now that will have a major impact on their social and economic futures are climate change and our ageing population. These issues are already shaping the Australia young people live in. Australia is one of the hottest and driest continents on Earth and will therefore be among the hardest and fastest hit by climate As the population ages, Australia will also face new challenges in health, aged care, post-retirement income support and social Young people will play a significant role as the nation confronts these and other challenges. The rate of technological advancement is another significant difference for this generation, which has been born into a world of two-way digital media where people produce cultural content rather than simply consume it.

6 Today s young people have never known a world without constant access to mobile phones, internet and email. Young people are leading the way with new technology, the way it transforms our access to information and knowledge, and our ability to communicate and connect with each s economic and social conditions are transforming families and communities. The redistribution of work and wealth, long working hours for some and underemployment for others, changing gender roles, shrinking households and changing family structures all impact on how families 1 Based on Erikson s eight stages of psychosocial Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme: Australia s low pollution future, White Paper, Volume 1 (2008), Commonwealth of Australia, Executive Summary, p. Commonwealth of Australia, Population ageing briefing book for the 42nd Parliament, 2008, retrieved 8 December 2009, communities are able to support young For instance, with changing time pressures young people are spending more time with friends and often looking to each other for influence of popular culture has always been significant but today s young people face particular pressures.

7 They are increasingly the focus of corporate interests and consumer marketing. News and current affairs media present stories that stereotype young people as selfish, materialistic and dangerous. Commercial interests also expose young people to an unprecedented number of sexualised messages and all of these reasons we need to continue to improve the support available to young people to navigate these challenges. As a nation we must do more to develop a stronger, fairer and more inclusive society for young OuR VISIONOur vision is for all young people to grow up safe, healthy, happy and resilient and to have the opportunities and skills they need to learn, work, engage in community life and influence decisions that affect australian Government cannot achieve this vision alone. This Strategy provides a framework for us to work with young people, other governments, families, communities and the youth sector to make this vision a Strategy aims to:1.

8 Empower young people to build their own lives2. enable young Australians to learn to take responsibility for their actions3. build resilience in young Australians to navigate life s challenges4. build a healthier, safer and more productive aims recognise that there are multiple influences on young people s lives including having supportive and healthy relationships with the important people in their lives, and being able to access and thrive in education and work. Equally influential are personal qualities and skills like confidence and optimistic thinking, enjoying stable and secure living arrangements, and feeling a sense of connection and belonging within families, communities and to the wider society. To achieve this vision, the Strategy focuses on eight priorities for supporting young people to succeed and build lives of their own choosing:1. Improving the health and wellbeing of all young Equipping young Australians to shape their own futures through Supporting young Australians within their Empowering young Australians to take part and be active in their Equipping young Australians with the skills and personal networks they need to gain, and be successful in, Enabling young Australians to participate confidently and safely Strengthening early intervention with young Australians to help prevent any problems getting worse and to help young people get their lives back on Establishing clear cut legal consequences for behaviours that endanger the safety of McKay H, Advance where?

9 , Hachette Australia, Sydney, 2007, pp. 27 60, 79 87, 163 183, 210 Sexualisation of children in contemporary media, 2008, Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia, pp. 2, Strategy identifies and prioritises eight areas for action. The australian Government has prioritised these areas to reflect and respond to what it s like to be young in Australia today. To fully understand young people s experiences and needs, we have: zestablished the australian Youth Forum and National Conversation to listen to young people and ask their views on what should be in the Strategy zconsulted with the youth sector, researchers, families and other experts zexamined a wide range of academic and research writings zpublished State of Australia s Young People: a report on the social, economic, health and family lives of young people which describes how young people are faring zpublished Investing in Australia s Young People: a stocktake of australian Government initiatives for young people which lists australian Government youth following snapshot is taken primarily from the report, State of Australia s Young People.

10 This report draws together existing findings and re-examines large and national data sets to draw out new insights about young people between 12 and 24 years old. Complementing the statistical and empirical research are findings from focus groups that give young people s own perspective on how they re faring and what they re most concerned about. Together these findings present a picture of young people s lives. This is important because: zyoung people see their lives as a whole zgovernments traditionally work in specific areas like health, education and justice zthe separate areas of a person s life have an impact on each other and the whole. Wellbeing is linked to how well you do at school. Your education is linked to how well you do at work and so on. The whole-person-whole-life perspective is important so the Strategy can identify and make the links, and make the way government works more full report is available at zYoung people aged 12 to 24 represent nearly 20 per cent of the australian population and 28 per cent of all households contain a young z66 per cent of 12 to 19 year olds live at home with two parents and a further 20 per cent live with one z1 in 5 australian young people were born overseas.