Background

Listening to young people

We actively engaged with hundreds of young people and the sector to develop this Plan and ensure it reflected the needs, wants and aspirations of young South Australians.

We did this by conducting:

• An online survey about young people’s priorities through YourSAy.
• A Youth Panel Forum which included a diverse group of young people from across South Australia.
• In-person consultation with representatives from the youth sector.
• A Government Task Group which brought together representatives from key government agencies and the Youth Panel Forum to map current investment in outcomes for young people across government agencies, and to identify gaps and opportunities.
• Further public consultation through YourSAy that gave young people and people that work with young people the opportunity to give feedback on the Plan’s implementation.

In total, the development of the Plan has engaged almost 500 young people at different stages across its development. We look forward to growing that number during the Plan’s implementation.

What young people told us

In August 2019, our engagement with young people culminated in a Youth Panel Forum held in metropolitan Adelaide. Young people aged 12 – 24 years came from across South Australia, including 24% from regional South Australia, and from all walks of life.

The Youth Panel went through a rigorous weekend long process which involved hearing from key State Youth Advocates and ‘issue experts’ and delving into the information collated from the various consultations.

The Youth Panel took this information and wrote their own report to the government. In response, the government, via this plan, has embraced a shared vision with young people and has prioritised what young people have told us are key to their future.

Our commitment to addressing these priorities is detailed under ‘Priority Areas’ and identified as ‘Strong Futures Projects’.

We thank democracyCo and Carclew Creative Consultants for their roles in supporting meaningful engagement with young South Australians in the development of the Plan.

A message from the Youth Panel

We believe in having a strong action plan for youth. This plan will foster positivity, civic awareness, inclusivity and community mindedness in our society. For far too long we have been ignored or not listened to – some of us even being shunned from society. It is time for us to have our voices heard, our rights enacted and for us to take our seat at the decision making table.

Young people want a fair, equal and inclusive South Australia which embraces diversity and brings the best out of each individual. We also want to live in a safe, clean and innovative environment.
The opportunity to directly influence the priorities of the SA Youth Action Plan provides hope to all young people of South Australia by being the bridge between us and the Government. Our panel stand as a team, one united body and we strongly encourage all youth to stand with us, letting their voice not only to be heard, but also to be acted on. As individuals, influence can be challenging, but together our voices can make a change and break through the barriers we face.