2021 Listening Tour
Lucy Stronach as the Australian Youth Representative to the UN will lead an extensive, nationwide consultation tour to engage with and discover the issues that are most important to young Australians. The Listening Tour is a 6-month journey across every State and Territory and sees the Australian Youth Representative consult with as many young people aged 12 to 25.
What is the Listening Tour?
The Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations is tasked with representing the views of young Australians both domestically and abroad. To represent these views, the Australian Youth Representative leads the largest annual face-to-face consultation of young people in the country, called the “Listening Tour”.
The Listening Tour occurs over 6 months and see the Australian Youth Representative travel to every State and Territory, engaging with young people in urban, regional and rural areas.
Over the course of this consultation, the Youth Representative will hear a wide variety of youth opinions on issues at the local, national and international level. Alongside the consultation, the Australian Youth Representative will meet with prominent members of the Australian community including MPs, NGO heads, business leaders, young leaders and key players in the youth and education sectors
Getting involved with a consultation!
Lucy Stronach as the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations listens to the youth of Australia through consultations during the Listening Tour. These consultations can be held anywhere, typically from youth and council conferences, school visits, UN Youth Australia events, Juvenile Justice centres and an expansive range more.
Lucy is determined to increase the reach of the Program to engage with a more diverse range of young Australians than ever before. She’s also committed to identifying the solutions young people wish to see implemented to the issues we face by exploring evidence-based practice and policy.
Hold a consultation!
We encourage you to reach out to us to hold a consultation at your organisation/institution! We have a dedicated team in each State and Territory committed to organising these consultations – we simply just need you to reach out and let us know! There is no fee attached, and consultations involve interactive activities and group discussion. These consultations, including these interactive components, will be included in the formal data collection for the Listening Tour. You can find out more information by accessing our Information Pack.
Please reach out to us to hold a consultation through this form or by clicking the button below!
Attend a consultation! (COMING SOON)
If you are a young person and wish to attend a consultation, some councils and youth groups, as well as the Program, will have open consults throughout the year!
These opportunities are fantastic if you simply want to join and participate but don’t know how. While we encourage you to come along, we also encourage you to recommend to your council, school or community organisers to request to hold a consultation! This will mean both yourself and other young people around get an opportunity to participate. But for now, check out and see if any open consultations are open near you!
Frequently asked questions
There is no fee attached to the Youth Representative Program and consultations. As the entire Program is grassroots and funded by the community, financial or in-kind donations are always greatly appreciated to ensure Lucy can reach as many diverse young people as possible.
A consultation can last anywhere from 45 minutes upwards. Typically, a traditional consultation will last for 120 minutes to ensure enough time for Lucy and the participants to really explore key issues and themes raised. The timing of a consultation is flexible and can be discussed further with Lucy and her team.
We are happy to engage with any number of young people at a time. Whilst a group of 15 to 40 participants means that we can be more interactive and participatory, Lucy is also happy to work with larger groups if this is what you would prefer.
No! Youth Representative consultations are open to any NGOs, schools, universities or other groups that work with young people. As long as the participants are under the age of 25, we can organise a consultation.
Sometimes, schools and organisations have a specific group of students in mind for our consultations, such as an SRC or youth group. However, we believe that all young people should be able to access our consultations, regardless of their previous exposure to the kinds of topics we discuss in the consultation. As such, we are happy to work with any young people under the age of 25.
Our primary target in the Australian Youth Representative Program is young people aged between 12 to 25. let us known if you have younger students who may like to also participate.
Absolutely! Young people can complete the Youth Representative survey online, which is accessible here. Time permitting, students will complete this survey during the consultations. In 2020, Lucy and the Australian Youth Representative team also launched a new podcast series, For the Future, which features the stories of young Australians. The team are constantly working to identify young people who can feature on the show.
Coming soon is the Youth Spotlight Program, an initiative that aims to work with youth to highlight specific issues.
There is a big team behind the Australian Youth Representative Program all working hard to empower the youth of Australia. We understand you may have a generic or specific enquiry. To ensure your enquiry reaches the appropriate person or team, we kindly ask you to submit it through this form below. Your enquiry will be responded to within 24 to 48 hours.
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Reporting to the UN
In September/October, the Australian Youth Representative travels to New York to represent Australia’s young people at the United Nations as a member of the Australian Permanent Mission to the UN. While in New York, the Australian Youth Representative will represent the views of both the Australian Mission and Australia’s young people to the international community.
Culminating in a speech to the 3rd Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Australian Youth Representative’s stay in New York will involve negotiating with Youth Representatives from other countries, and helping to inform the debate around topical issues from the youth perspective.
2019 Report
“I also saw an innate and powerful hope in young people…I saw them empowering each other. I saw young people looking at the world around them, determined to build a better one.”, Kareem El-Ansary reports.
2018 Report
“It is crucial that we consider young people as participating members of society…If young people had a greater say in decision-making and setting our policy agenda, our world would be kinder, safer, and healthier.”, Amos Washington reports.
2017 Report
“I know that young people have creative solutions to offer—which is helpful because our world is facing unprecedented challenges that will require young people to help solve.”, Paige Burton reports.
Report Back Tour
Following the report to the United Nations, Lucy and the Program will produce the 2021 Australian Youth Representative Report. This report will detail all the findings of the 2021 Listening Tour and will be available to all.
Lucy will then begin her Report Back Tour, where she will travel around Australia interacting with the Australian public, government officials, policymakers, Members of Parliament, and other organisations and deliver the report and her findings.
The youth of Australia will have an opportunity to join Lucy at parliament at a federal and state level, and other events.
Stay in touch
Want to keep updated on the progress of the Program as well as how you can be involved in the Report Back and other Youth Representative opportunities?
Follow our socials and interact with us there and join our mailing list and receive updates!
Contact us
Need to contact Lucy, the Program or UN Youth Australia? Fill in a contact request form and our team will be back in touch with you!
Media Enquiries
For media enquiries, please contact Chief Communications Officer, Igor Andonov, at communications@unyouth.org.au or at +61 478 668 018.