As part of considering and improving the effectiveness of services available to youth, South Australia’s Department of Human Services initiated a Youth Panel to better understand what issues matter to young South Australians and how best to meet those needs.
Problems and Purpose
The SA government sought input from young people about how to address issues that significantly matter to them. The intent was to work together with young people (as well as representatives from government and key non-government organisations) to achieve this, including developing a three-year Youth Action Plan for South Australia. [1]
Based on previous reports, four areas that were noted as being important to young people, and that would be a focus for this initiative, are:
- Learn and Earn
- Connect and Grow
- Wellbeing and the Environment
- Fairness and Inclusion
Background History and Context
Drawing on previous research and consultation reports around youth issues, the four areas (above) were identified as a foundation for the Youth Panel engagement. Key documents drawn on for this were:
- Mission Australia's 2018 Youth Survey
- Commissioner for Children and Young People's 2017 Listening Tour Report
- UN 2018 Youth Representative Report
- Reports by the Youth Affairs Council of South Australia (YACSA) and Youth Parliament [1]
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
democracyCo facilitated the panel.
Participant Recruitment and Selection
Participants aged 12-24 nominated themselves to take part in the panel by completing a form online.
50 panellists were selected.
Methods and Tools Used
Developing the Youth Action Plan involved many initiatives:
- Online survey
- Youth Panel Forum
- In-person consultation
- Government Task-Group
- Further public consultation (through YourSAy for young people or those working with young people to provide input on the Plan's implementation) [3]
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
During the panel, key stakeholders were invited to present and engage in the Youth Panel process. A cross-government Task Group was also created to "provide cross-government oversight during the development of the Youth Action Plan." The Task Group involved representatives of over 20 government agencies who are involved with young people, and would also work alongside representatives from the Youth Panel to "identify deliverables and opportunities to co-design policies and programs" for the plan. [1] & [2]
The forum was held over one weekend on a Saturday and Sunday in August.
Panellists heard from experts and State Youth Advocates and were given briefing materials. The weekend resulted in the youth panel writing a report to the government.
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
This led to the development and release of the Youth Action Plan.
The SA government committed to prioritising the Youth Panel's recommendations in the Youth Action Plan. As part of being held accountable to the delivery of the plan, the Department of Human Services annually report to the Social Affairs Cabinet Committee. [3]
Analysis and Lessons Learned
See Also
References
[1] YourSAy, Designing a Youth Action Plan for South Australia, accessible at: https://yoursay.sa.gov.au/designing-a-youth-action-plan-for-south-australia
[2] democracyCo, Youth Action Plan, accessible at: https://www.democracyco.com.au/our-projects/youth-action-plan/
[3] Government of South Australia, Strong Futures SA Youth Action Plan, accessible at: https://www.youthactionplan.sa.gov.au/
External Links
Notes
Data was sourced from OECD (2020), Innovative Citizen Participation and New Democratic Institutions: Catching the Deliberative Wave, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/339306da-en.
