For Young People

As a young person, understanding what it means to be a South Australian citizen involves gaining the knowledge and skills that enable you to engage fully with society and become an active member of your local community.

This resource portal has been built specifically with you and your teachers in mind. It brings together over 230 resources relating to Civics and Citizenship education, offering them in one centralised place so that you can find information quickly and easily on topics of interest to you. 

If you can’t find something relating to Civics and Citizenship on this site that you believe should be included, we would love to hear from you. Please email us at commissionercyp@sa.gov.au  

“Children and young people have repeatedly told me that they want to understand the systems that govern them and how to engage in the decisions that affect them, that is why civics education is so important.” 

Helen Connolly, Commissioner for Children and Young People, SA

Overview of site content:

Know Your Rights

Every child and young person under the age of 18 has rights and responsibilities. These are protected by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This document has been signed by every country in the world, except the USA and Somalia. Australia was one of the first countries to sign when the UNCRC first came into being in 1989, however, there are still some rights areas on which we are working to become internationally compliant. As a young person, you can become involved in making sure your rights are protected by knowing and learning about what they are and by talking to friends and family about how they can be upheld. Sometimes it can be difficult for children and young people to have their voices heard. At these times you might find it useful to have an advocate to assist in communicating on your behalf. Your Commissioner for Children and Young People is appointed by the State Government to act independently on your behalf in relation to your rights. 

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Civics Opportunities

There are hundreds of civics opportunities for young people in South Australia. They range across local, state and federal government organisations to non-for-profit community and youth led organisations. You can find out what is involved in becoming a member of the SA SRC or your local council youth advisory committee. Participate in YMCA’s Youth Parliament or join the Australian Youth Climate Coalition to name a few.

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Places to Visit

There are dozens of organisations in South Australia that provide a broad range of opportunities for civics and citizenship themed tours closely aligned to the curriculum. Most of the organisations are based in or around Adelaide’s central business district. They include Government House, Parliament House, The Centre of Democracy, South Australia Museum, State Library of South Australia, Migration Museum, Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Andrew Steiner Education Centre, Legal Services Commission South Australia, South Australian Law Courts, Museum of Discovery, Art Gallery of South Australia, and the Adelaide Gaol.

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Civics Awards

South Australian young people can apply for awards relating to civics and citizenship such as Young Citizen of the Year Award, the Governor’s Civic Awards, the Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Award or the Department of Human Services Pride Award, to name just a few. There are also many community and not-for-profit organisations who offer young people awards for their contributions. 

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What You Told Us

Thousands of South Australian children and young people have been contributing to the work of the Commissioner by participating in consultations, completing surveys and polls, and sharing their thoughts and ideas via discussion groups, seminars and summits. The Commissioner could not advocate on your behalf without your input. She needs to know what matters most to you so that she can inform adults who make changes at the systemic level to fix the issues you have raised. This is what being your Commissioner is all about. We’ve made a link to this content available to teachers and educators from this site so your voices are being heard on those issues that matter most to you.

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SA SRC

The Commissioner for Children and Young People established the statewide student representative council (SA SRC) in 2022 to empower young people to identify and take action on the issues that matter to them most. The SA SRC is made up of 166 students from years 10, 11 & 12 representing schools throughout South Australia.

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