Children and young people care deeply about their communities and
the world around them. They are frustrated with institutions that do not include them or represent their views, and which fail to take action on public policy issues they believe should be prioritised such as inequality, future job opportunities, and climate change.
Many young South Australians have sought to engage policy makers
and influence change through participation in processes organised by
government and non government organisations and authorities (eg Youth Parliament) and through participation in social movements (eg Schools Strike 4 Climate). However many feel they cannot meaningfully influence government policy and decision making in any way.
Many young people have told me they are being denied opportunities to participate and are often excluded from public consultations, particularly in relation to those issues that matter most to them.
