WA Youth Action Plan 2024-2027 - Frequently asked questions

“Koorlangka Bidi – WA Youth Action Plan 2024-27” sets out the actions the government will take to achieve improved outcomes for young people in Western Australia over the next three years.

Guiding the actions is a vision for: A Western Australia where all young people matter, and feel and are valued and included, supported to achieve their goals, empowered to shape the world they live in, and lead meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Throughout the consultation process for the new Youth Action Plan, 2,271 young people from across Western Australia shared what was most important to them and what action State Government could take to support young people to thrive.

Through a collaborative whole-of-government effort, the Youth Action Plan will drive initiatives across six focus areas based on the issues young people in WA identified as being most important to them.

The State Government’s previous “Beyond 2020: WA Youth Action Plan 2020-2022” concluded at the end of 2022. It was focused on supporting young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The world has changed a lot since it was released in 2021.

In 2023, the State Government committed to developing a new State-wide Youth Action Plan and collecting fresh perspectives on how we can make Western Australia a better place for young people.

The focus of the Action Plan is on universal youth services which are open to all young people aged 10 to 25 years old and support the following focus areas of the Youth portfolio:

• Youth development – to support young people to attain life skills, develop the knowledge and confidence needed to be involved in community life, achieve their goals and to respond to issues impacting their lives.
• Youth engagement – to provide opportunities for young people to be involved in decisions that affect them across all levels of government and the community.
• Positive promotion of young people – to value young people for who they are and recognise the positive contributions they are making in the community.
• Advocating on behalf of the needs of young people – to raise awareness of the needs of young people. This includes ensuring the needs of young people are fully understood and considered in decision making.

There are six focus areas that were directly informed by the voices and experiences of young people:

• Amplifying young voices – young people have a voice that is heard, shaping their world, while feeling valued, recognised, and celebrated for their invaluable contributions.
• Climate action – move towards achieving net zero emissions, support climate adaptation and protect WA's unique environment for present and future generations. Equip young people with the knowledge, resources, and infrastructure needed to lead climate action, drive sustainable environmental practices and adapt to and mitigate climate change.
• Achieving goals – young people will gain a better understanding of post-school pathways and crucial life skills to achieve their goals and/or pursue purpose-driven careers.
• Cost of living – young people have access to supports that assist them to navigate the cost-of-living pressures, and access to safe and affordable transport to get to the places they need to.
• Supporting wellbeing –young people have access to resources, education, and programs supporting mental wellbeing, healthy lifestyles, and connections with family, friends, and community.
• Embracing diversity and inclusion – young people are actively engaged in community life, included, valued and celebrated for their diversity; fostering a strong sense of belonging and connection.

Importantly, the Youth Action Plan notes that these issues are largely interrelated and should not be considered in isolation from each other.

The State Government invited young people and organisations to have their say and inform the development of a new Youth Action Plan.

From August 2023 to March 2024 the Youth portfolio engaged with a diverse cohort of 2,271 young people, from across WA, from Fitzroy Crossing to Albany.

The consultations engaged young people with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences including Aboriginal young people, LGBTQIA+ young people, young people living with disability, culturally and linguistically diverse young people, young carers and young people who live in regional, rural and remote areas of Western Australia.

Throughout the consultation process young people had their say through:

• 703 survey submissions;
• 29 written submissions;
• 47 ‘Drop us a comment’ submission;
• Over 50 ‘Building Tomorrow: Have Your Say’ workshops reaching every region in WA and a sell out Ignite & Innovate Networking event attended by 1,408 young people; and
• 113 young people engaged in the UN Youth Voice Public Speaking Competition

The “Building Tomorrow: Have Your Say” workshops took place in every region in Western Australia. The workshops were facilitated by young people allowing for a peer-based model that was accessible and engaging.

In the workshops, participants were invited to pitch a solution to an issue that they are passionate about. The solutions pitched by young people provided Government with many practical ideas for actions that have been incorporated into the Youth Action Plan

The workshops also bought tangible benefits to young people by supporting participants to learn a new skill, such as public speaking, networking or how to design an effective LinkedIn profile. 96 per cent of participants said that they had learnt something new during a workshop.

Communities partnered with trusted organisations and met young people where they are comfortable, such as at a local hangout sport with a local youth worker, to allow them to feel safe as they shared their views.

The State Government also opened submissions to:

• General public, in particular young people aged 10 to 25 years living in Western Australia
• Youth sector organisations, including peak bodies
• Education institutions
• Non-government community service providers
• Local governments, including Youth Advisory Councils

In recognising that the needs of young people cannot be met by any single agency in isolation, the Department of Communities coordinated an Interagency Working Group which was comprised of key State Government agencies.

The Interagency Working Group considered the consultation findings and developed actions informed by the views of young people.

This approach also helps to reduce the duplication of efforts across different agencies and to create a coordinated and cohesive effort across Government.

Communities also worked with and shared consultation findings with local government agencies, the Federal Government, and other stakeholders such as the Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia, the Western Australian Local Government Association, Western Australian Council of Social Service, and Carers WA to further amplify the voices of young people and create improved outcomes for them.

The impact of the Youth Action Plan will be monitored through yearly reports, which will provide an overview of how the actions are implemented.

The Youth portfolio has worked closely with State Government agencies to ensure that all the actions are measurable. Outcomes have been developed for each action in the Youth Action Plan to support monitoring progress.

After the term of the Youth Action Plan concludes, a closing report will be prepared to evaluate the impact of the Youth Action Plan in improving outcomes for young people aged 10 to 25 years old in WA.