Page 1676 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 1 April 2009
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achievement award went to Reg Hodges, the encouragement award went to Kyle Knowles and the group award went to the YWCA Mura Lanyon Youth Committee. Again, my congratulations go to all of them on their achievements.
The Youth InterACT scholarships provide funding of up to $500 for individual young people to attend an activity relevant to learning, sporting, conference, personal or career development. The scholarships provide an opportunity for young people to enhance their professional and personal development through participation in a range of activities or events.
Funding has been provided to 22 young people so far this financial year. The funding has been for a number of worthwhile events, including various sporting events such as the Australian schoolboys cricket tournament in Darwin, a young person’s attendance at the Pan Pacific water polo festival in New Zealand, sponsorship of young people participating in the clown doctors training workshop, young people attending the disability, disadvantaged and development conference, and assisting young people to attend the World Festival of Performing Arts.
The youth InterACT grants, another grant round provided by the government, provide up to $1,500 in funding for young people to organise projects, events, activities and programs—referred to as projects—for other young people in the territory. A new grants round will commence in May this year. These grants are based around youth participation for young people to actively participate in making decisions and taking action around issues that affect them, individually and collectively.
I am very proud of the achievements of this government in implementing the priorities under the young people’s plan. There are many stakeholders involved and each has, in their own way, been influential in their involvement with young people. To this end, the government is committed to the development of a new young people’s plan and has already undertaken a number of consultations with young people through the Youth Advisory Council. 280 young people were asked, in a survey in October 2008, what issues were important to them, whether they were able to access youth services, what concerned them around their health and wellbeing and what they valued. The responses will be incorporated into the development of a new plan.
Additionally, at this year’s Youth InterACT conference, “Redefine 09”, young people’s ideas will be sought on what they see as priority areas for government. In the coming months, further consultations will take place with key stakeholders, both government and non-government, the youth sector and the community more broadly. Ultimately, it is the community and young people more broadly, rather than just sectoral interests, that need to be reflected in a new young people’s plan. The time frame for delivery of the new plan is December this year.
National Youth Week in the ACT is funded in partnership with the commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. But unique to us here in the territory, National Youth Week is coordinated in partnership between the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services and the Youth Coalition of the ACT. Mr Jeremy Mann is the ACT young member for 2009 and represents young people’s views on the National Youth Week Planning Group and assists in the planning and coordination of National Youth Week in the ACT.
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