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Submission to the Queensland Office of Youth

On 25 November 2022 the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia made a submission to the Queensland Youth Strategy Consultation Discussion Paper.

The Academy strongly supports the Queensland Government’s commitment to improving outcomes for young people. Ensuring youth succeed in their transition to an autonomous life is of critical importance to our national future.

Drawing on international leading practice principles and Australia’s strong body of na­tional knowledge on youth psychology, sociology, policy and citizenship, our submission provides six key recommendations aimed at enhancing the Queensland youth policy framework.

The Academy recommends:

  1. The new Strategy recognises the uncertainties and impacts created by climate change and intergenerational equity as key global transformations shaping the modern youth experience, and especially notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated their effects.
  2. The Queensland Government extends its commitment to youth engagement through comprehensive participatory engagement models, including up-to-date digital approaches, so that diverse young people can contribute to meaningful change across all areas of government policy and the policy cycle.
  3. The new Strategy recognises the cross-cutting and interconnected nature of youth policy and identifies coordination mechanisms to deliver policy, programs, and services.
  4. The Queensland Government investigates opportunities and structures to support focused youth research and to foster collaboration across policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in the field of youth.
  5. The new Strategy is underpinned by youth-centred indicators together with a monitoring and evaluation framework, which has been developed in consultation with young Queenslanders and experts in youth outcomes measurement.
  6. The new Strategy incorporates cross-cutting themes of social and emotional wellbeing, financial security, and access to affordable housing.

 

Click on ‘download’ to read the submission in full.