youTHINK: Your Say

Young people experiencing a range of difficulties in their lives rarely get to speak directly to government about their problems. The youTHINK: Your Say event provided a platform for young people to talk about unemployment, homelessness, financial difficulties, access to government services and to provide feedback on the Australian Government’s Compact with Young Australians. The activities on and around the 30 June 2009 also provided an opportunity for young people to suggest to government what might be done to deal with the issues and problems facing those disadvantaged young people in our society. Over 700 young people convened in 36 separate locations across Australia to talk about their concerns and to discuss directly four key themes – the global financial crisis, access to government services, homelessness and the Compact with Young Australians. For most of these young people this was the only opportunity they have had to talk to other young people in similar circumstances and to participate in the preparation of a formal response to government. This report, finalised in late 2009 and published in May 2010, presents the thoughts, feelings, opinions and suggestions of the young people and uses their words to convey to government some important messages. The youTHINK: Your Say event was a partnership between the Australian government and The Salvation Army and supported by Business Group Australia