zForum - Zope Based Message Boards

Home / Are you being heard? Youth voices in local government / Why is this important? [Viewed 963 Times]

Back

Why is this important?
By: rreodica Postings: 8	Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 - 11:06 PM Hey all, Before I get really stuck into this area, I'd like to ask why people think having youth voices in local government is important: 1) for young people, 2) for government and 3) for society in general. I have my reasons for thinking this, but I think that too often we jump straight to the mechanics of making youth participation work, without addressing why we should. If we're preaching to the converted on this issue in this forum, then we might be ok.... ...but in the hope that someone out there is here looking to find about why many of us are keen to see progress in this area, I think we need to talk this out. Your thoughts??? (Yes, you... with the keyboard.... you know who you are....) Rey
By: mbarker Postings: 6	Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 - 11:34 PM Hi Rey and great post by the way which has got me thinking! A council represents the whole demographics of an area which includes the youth sector. I feel that it is imperative they are included in conversation and decision making. Asking for young people to interact is one thing but i feel that they need to know that they will indeed be making a difference and that there voice won't go to waste! Government, in my experience does not take the view of young people serious enough which is a great shame. I think that councils are apprehensive in engaging with young people. Why is this? Is this true? Id love to know what Councils are doing to interact with young people? I would like to see more done in government to involve young people in decision making at a higher level and i feel the lack of interest is due from young people thinking their views will not change local issues.
By: CherryG Postings: 8	Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 - 04:33 PM Yes, I agree I think we need to change the perception that local government's aren't interested in hearing the views of young people - they are. At the City of Melbourne we try to engage with young people in multiple ways to ensure that a) young people are heard and the issues that they see as important are on the agenda b) that the young people learn about and understand how local governments work and how the wheels of decision making turn, even when at times it can be slow. That means going out to schools, to service providers, meeting young people at drop-in centres or at the steps of Flinders Street station or at the skatepark, or making opportunities for young people to come into council to meet us, Councillors and other council staff.
By: rfoster Postings: 12	Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 - 07:05 PM What a great topic!!! There are plenty of reasons to work with young people - most importantly perhaps is that they are the residents, the businesses, the cultural entertainment and the life blood of tomorrows city. Get them connected, engaged and excited now and you'll have an innovative, inclusive and vibrant city tomorrow. We're seeing a revitalisation of council listening to young people for at least three reasons: 1. tomorrows leaders are demanding more than the humble dollar. In an employees market, young people are seeking an employer of choice - an employer that gives a damn! Climate change is big on the agenda and young people are leading the charge for change. We are seeing councils adopting green policies, reducing water and energy use and ensuring sustainability is on everyones table: good news for the tomorrows environment 2. young people are innovators and innovation retains residents and attracts visitors: good news for the tomorrows economy 3. young people are increasingly socially aware and demanding policies and spending from councils that address social injustice: good news for tomorrows communities. So....aside from all this, young people know young people. If you're going to service a community, wouldn't you be best to ask the community whats really happening and have them work with you to address issues in a meaningful way....at the very least to ensure that hopefully you get it right. Imagine if you were getting your room painted and a painter just came over and painted it what ever colour they thought....no they wouldn't. They'd ask you what colour you liked and if you didn't know they'd work with you to choose something that was right for you (ok metaphors are not my strong point!)
By: CherryG Postings: 8	Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 - 10:46 AM rfoster - that's exactly right and yes the painting metaphor did work! Young people are the innovators of our futures. The difficulty for us, in a capital city context, is ensuring that we offer multiple opportunities for young people who reside, work, study, visit, access services and play in the city to participate and engage in ways that are ultimately meaning for them, and to meet their needs and aspirations. We also need to provide avenues to foster youth leadership to ensure that we retain the vibrancy and innovation.
By: rreodica Postings: 8	Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 - 12:14 AM From CherryG: Yes, I agree I think we need to change the perception that local government's aren't interested in hearing the views of young people - they are. Thanks for your response, but I'm not sure if that general statement can be said for all - or even a majority of - local councils (at least not based on documentation in NSW!). Every local council in NSW is required by state law to consult the community and create "social plans" that indicate how the council will address community needs. The state requirements also include a number of target groups, whose needs should be addressed in the planning processes. This includes the needs of young people. However, if you were to do an audit of youth participation in local government social planning documents in NSW (this has been done, though not publicly), you'd find that evidence of young people's input into these processes is patchy, sometimes non-existent. In my experience, real youth participation in local government is highly dependent on individual champions within the council or bureaucracy, creating such opportunities. It's certainly not a feature of all local government practice. SOOOOO.... The next question for me is how can we get those councils who aren't doing the right thing to jump on our "hey, youth participation is awesome for society" bandwagon??? I think rfoster's post alluded to some of the arguments that pop up in my head, but what are the specific arguments that the nay-sayers will listen to? What are the economic arguments? What do we say to those people who say "well, young people can call me, just like any other local resident", to convince them that specific youth participation opportunities are necessary? (As you can see, I like asking the big questions.... have fun!!) Rey
By: acoetzee Postings: 8	Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 - 04:01 PM I thought this might be the right forum to share the new project that our Youth Advisory Council is currently undertaking...hopefully it might give you some ideas for your own council or answer the question 'why is this important' for young people, the govt and society in general! So the City of Melville (in Peth, WA) is undertaking a 'Youth Consultation Research Project' - the first of its kind! This project sprung out of some advice that the YAC gave to the youth development officer about needing to consult with youth in the city more to get a better idea of what services and resource young people want. We started to get the feeling that we were no longer representing the youth of our community, and wanted to get back on track and start raising the profile of both the YAC and local government and the youth services on offer. Instead of getting a consultant in to plan and carry out the consultation, the plan is to get a team of 'young researchers' involved in the project to be at the centre in the process of planning and implementing the project, including conducting some (or all!) of the consultation etc. The idea behind this is two fold: youth are going to know more about good ways to consult with youth than youth workers or coucil staff, and can probably engage with young people better than adults; and being involved in doing research will give the people involved good skills in researching, decision making, group work, facilitation etc, and also lead to greater engagement with the community and a better sense of what is happening with young people in the community. The 'young researchers' don't need to have degrees or research skills already; the consultant who facilitates the project will provide training on any of the things that the team feel they need to learn about. The people who are involved in the youth researcher team just need to be committed to engaging young people and finding out what young people in the community want/think/feel. I'm very hopeful and think this will be (one small step for the YAC, one giant leap for the youth in our community!) a great move towards increased communication and understanding between youth and the local government. I wonder if there are any thoughts/ideas on how to carry it out in the most effective way? Any comments would be appreciated
By: mblanchard Postings: 5	Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 - 02:29 PM acoetzee - that sounds like a fantastic project - I'd be interested to see how it goes. I think one of the challenges of the youth advisory council model is that there are often not well resourced mechanisms to ensure that the youth council members are able to engage with their peers. Although this is not always the case, youth advisory council's often appear to the 'bright and shinies' - the young people who are quite engaged and motivated to act in their communities. The challenge is to ensure that if the council is relying on this group to make recommendations on how council policies may impact on young people, that the advice being given is representative of the diverse range of young people living in the LGA. Supporting young people or YAC members to undertake wider consultation with young people is a great way of doing this. My tips for how to make this work would be - Ensure the training is comprehensive and allows young people to rehearse different scenarios that may arise in the research process - Work with the peer researchers on how to be aware of how their own opinions may influence the way they read the advice they are giving - Allow time! Peer research is a wonderful, but time and resource intensive process. Make sure you've factored this in. Good luck!
By: Bronny_Hopkins Postings: 2	Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 - 03:50 PM Message has been edited, Click Here to view/hide original message *Original Message - [04/12/2008]* The next question for me is how can we get those councils who aren't doing the right thing to jump on our "hey, youth participation is awesome for society" bandwagon??? I think rfoster's post alluded to some of the arguments that pop up in my head, but what are the specific arguments that the nay-sayers will listen to? What are the economic arguments? What do we say to those people who say "well, young people can call me, just like any other local resident", to convince them that specific youth participation opportunities are necessary? In response to Rreodica's question ( how to get the nay-sayers to listen) i believe that some research into Gen Y's , there habits and the future instore for them would be a serious incentive for those councils who aren't doing "the right thing" . We need to give them a picture of the future and its possibilities Truth is youth today is allot different to the kind of youth alot of councils members may have had in mind. In this day and age to assume that a young person will call up like any other local resident is almost naive. Gen Y works in very different ways and especially when it comes to forms of communication, there are so many different channels and methods youth are currently using today that all help youth express themselves and make there mark on the world...or at-least the world wide web. So it can't be said that youth aren't communicating actively with society.....they just do it in a different way. More thought needs to be put into reaching this generation i believe. Fact is Gen Y is the future.. When it comes time for the baby boomers to retire and Gen x isn't far behind...its Gen y who is moving up to take responsibility... more thought needs to be put into getting the youth involved... and excited about the future With technology rapidly improving i believe its as good a time as any for councils to increase their youth opportunities and participation In response to Rreodica's question ( how to get the nay-sayers to listen) i believe that some research into Gen Y's , there habits and the future instore for them would be a serious incentive for those councils who aren't doing "the right thing" . We need to give them a picture of the future and its possibilities Truth is youth today is allot different to the kind of youth alot of councils members may have had in mind. In this day and age to assume that a young person will call up like any other local resident is almost naive. Gen Y works in very different ways and especially when it comes to forms of communication, there are so many different channels and methods youth are currently using today that all help youth express themselves and make there mark on the world...or at-least the world wide web. So it can't be said that youth aren't communicating actively with society.....they just do it in a different way. More thought needs to be put into reaching this generation i believe. Fact is Gen Y is the future.. When it comes time for the baby boomers to retire and Gen x isn't far behind...its Gen y who is moving up to take responsibility... more thought needs to be put into getting the youth involved... and excited about the future With technology rapidly improving i believe its as good a time as any for councils to increase their youth opportunities and participation
By: Bronny_Hopkins Postings: 2	Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 - 03:50 PM Message has been edited, Click Here to view/hide original message *Original Message - [04/12/2008]* In response to Rreodica's question ( how to get the nay-sayers to listen) i believe that some research into Gen Y's , there habits and the future instore for them would be a serious incentive for those councils who aren't doing "the right thing" . We need to give them a picture of the future and its possibilities Truth is youth today is allot different to the kind of youth alot of councils members may have had in mind. In this day and age to assume that a young person will call up like any other local resident is almost naive. Gen Y works in very different ways and especially when it comes to forms of communication, there are so many different channels and methods youth are currently using today that all help youth express themselves and make there mark on the world...or at-least the world wide web. So it can't be said that youth aren't communicating actively with society.....they just do it in a different way. More thought needs to be put into reaching this generation i believe. Fact is Gen Y is the future.. When it comes time for the baby boomers to retire and Gen x isn't far behind...its Gen y who is moving up to take responsibility... more thought needs to be put into getting the youth involved... and excited about the future With technology rapidly improving i believe its as good a time as any for councils to increase their youth opportunities and participation oops it posted twice! haha please ignore In response to Rreodica's question ( how to get the nay-sayers to listen) i believe that some research into Gen Y's , there habits and the future instore for them would be a serious incentive for those councils who aren't doing "the right thing" . We need to give them a picture of the future and its possibilities Truth is youth today is allot different to the kind of youth alot of councils members may have had in mind. In this day and age to assume that a young person will call up like any other local resident is almost naive. Gen Y works in very different ways and especially when it comes to forms of communication, there are so many different channels and methods youth are currently using today that all help youth express themselves and make there mark on the world...or at-least the world wide web. So it can't be said that youth aren't communicating actively with society.....they just do it in a different way. More thought needs to be put into reaching this generation i believe. Fact is Gen Y is the future.. When it comes time for the baby boomers to retire and Gen x isn't far behind...its Gen y who is moving up to take responsibility... more thought needs to be put into getting the youth involved... and excited about the future With technology rapidly improving i believe its as good a time as any for councils to increase their youth opportunities and participation
By: rfoster Postings: 12	Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 - 10:07 PM I think to get the message through to 'non believers' you need to know what makes them tick...what is their passion and what is their fear....do they have kids themselves and what are they like (ie if they're kids are 12, their view of the importance of engagement will be different than if their kids are 20). Now i'm not suggesting you go digging, just think about who you really want to sell the message to, and adapt the message for that audience. Theres no use talking about homelessness if the councillor is a representative for an affluent suburb unless you know they are connected to some charity work etc (yes i'm stereotyping). Some councillors will be focused on economic outcomes, some social, some cultural and some environmental...and some all of the above. Some will be strengths focused ('lets thrive') and some will be fear focused ('lets make sure nothing bad happens')...so some of the pitches/ reasons why youth engagement is important could include: - yp will build tomorrows economy: keep them connected and engaged - crime costs our state billions each year: keep them connected and engaged - yp with social networks and strong identity will enrich healthy communities - disconnected yp will place pressure on services and local communities - yp are innovators and creators - yp need to keep the arts and cultural sector going or we'll have nothing to do when we retire - yp can lead the way with environmental sustainability - yp need to ensure climate change doesn't get any worse These are a bit rough but you get the idea.
By: rreodica Postings: 8	Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 - 12:21 PM From rreodica: ...if you were to do an audit of youth participation in local government social planning documents in NSW (this has been done, though not publicly), you'd find that evidence of young people's input into these processes is patchy, sometimes non-existent. Rey News just in: The document that I referred to in this previous post is now available!!! Go to http://www.youth.nsw.gov.au and scroll down to the "What's new?" list. The report is currently the first one there. Otherwise, you can try this link: http://www.youth.nsw.gov.au/__data/page/1101/Reveiw_of_NSW_LG_Social_Plans.doc
By: Jioshi Postings: 1	Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 - 04:08 PM The ammount of times I have heard of and seen council say that "we listened to young people and this is what they say" i can't count on both your hands and feet, and mine but then we find out that they asked A young person, usually one of their own kids, and its not representative. I am a representative for youth in my local council and its just not funny sometimes.