Enabling Effective Engagement between Local Councils and Young Constituents

By Carlie Dodds, Global Voices National Scholar, Y20, 2020

Carlie Dodds is one of Global Voices National Scholars. Her policy paper focuses on Enabling Effective Engagement between Local Councils and Young Constituents.

Executive Summary

Despite increasing commitments by the Australian Government to engage young people in decision-making, youth engagement is often poorly practiced in Australia at the expense of better policies and stronger communities. The importance of effectively engaging young people in decision-making has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on young people. This policy paper focuses on the New South Wales Strategic Plan for Children and Young People as an opportunity to improve youth engagement in local council decision-making, the level of government that young people most prefer to engage with. This paper recommends the creation of a taskforce to develop and highlight best practice for engaging young people in decision making across local councils in New South Wales and for best practice to be included in future iterations of the New South Wales Strategic Plan for Children and Young People.

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