Policy Forum
The AYAC Policy Forum is a new event for young people to design policy and make change.
September – November 2021
Young people already have the ideas and experience to make change, but are often excluded from policy and the most important decisions about the future. The AYAC Policy Forum is a new event for young people to design policy and make change. We’re making a space to determine our priorities, develop policy and then meet with government and members of parliament to make change.
Workshops
We’re hosting a series of workshops in September and October to support you to make change and develop better policy. We’ve worked with the AYAC Young Leaders and Advocates Fellowship to identify five topics which we’ll explore in each workshop series.
Services and Support
Tuesday 5 October 5:30–7PM AEDT
Thursday 14 October 5:30–7PM AEDT
Employment and Opportunity
Tuesday 12 October 5:30–7PM AEDT
Thursday 21 October 5:30–7PM AEDT
Health and Wellbeing
Tuesday 19 October 5:30–7PM AEDT
Thursday 28 October 5:30–7PM AEDT
Climate and Environment
Tuesday 26 October 5:30–7PM AEDT
Thursday 4 November 5:30–7PM AEDT
Respect and Inclusion
Tuesday 2 November 5:30–7:30PM AEDT
Thursday 11 November 5:30–7PM AEDT
We are hosting two workshops one week apart for each of these topics. In the first workshop we’ll hear from experts and people with lived experience before discussing your hopes. In the second workshop we’ll identify policy recommendations and what change needs to happen.
The workshops are open to all young people. You don’t need experience and you don’t have to prepare before you attend. You can attend as many or as few workshops as you like, but it’s better if you can attend both workshops for each topic. You can still get involved even if you can’t attend a workshop by completing our survey to share your experiences, hopes and priorities.
Impact
The recommendations we create at the workshops will be included in a report and we’ll advocate together for better policy. We’ll also support delegations of young people to meet with government and members of parliament to discuss why the recommendations are important. We can then campaign for change to make sure your recommendations are included in policy.
Step 1
Share your experiences and ideas in the survey.
Step 2
Work together to identify priorities and design better policies for young people at a workshop with experts.
Step 3
Advocate for your recommendations by joining meetings with government and members of parliament.
Step 4
Make change and campaign until your recommendations are included in policy.
Training
To support you to join the workshops, we’re hosting free policy and advocacy training where you can learn how to design and change policy. The training is an optional part of the AYAC Policy Forum. In the free training sessions, you’ll learn more about public policy, advocacy and how to meet and influence your local member of parliament.
Advocacy Training
16 October 2–5PM AEDT
Learn how to map advocacy priorities, manage stakeholders and speak with decision-makers to influence change.
Policy Training
13 November 2–4PM AEDT
Learn about the policy development process, how to write policy, make persuasive arguments and engage with government.
Accessibility
We are committed to making the AYAC Policy Forum accessible to everyone. You can tell us about any access requirements when you register for a workshop or an event or you can contact our team for support.
Partners
The AYAC Policy Forum is supported by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. We are supported by our partners who are generously providing expert policy advice and support.
