Page 490 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019

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Citizen of the Year award, which celebrates a young person who is an exceptional role model, a champion of youth issues or an active community leader; the personal achievement award, which recognises a young person who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to overcome obstacles and adversity in pursuit of their goals; the individual community service award, which recognises the direct contributions made to the community by a stand-out young person; the environment and sustainability award, which recognises the role of a young person or a group of young people in contributing to Canberra’s ongoing mission to be a cleaner, greener, more sustainable city; the arts and multimedia award, which recognises the contribution by young people to the arts; and the group achievement award, which recognises a group or organisation that has come together to champion the values of young people.

Each of these awards represents an opportunity for the government to highlight the unique ways in which young people contribute to our community and the incredible things they are capable of achieving. The awards provide a platform for the promotion of positive stories to inspire all young Canberrans and create role models for our young people to look up to. Everyone in this place will be familiar with some of the past winners of these awards, such as Jasiri Australia, Mustafa Ehsan, Jordan Kerr and of course the outgoing Young Canberra Citizen of the Year, the amazing Dhani Gilbert.

Nominations for the awards are open now and will close on 18 March. I hope anyone here and anyone who is listening who knows an inspiring individual or group of young people will consider nominating them for an award.

MS ORR: Minister, how does the government ensure that it is hearing the voices of young people on policy that affects them?

MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Ms Orr for the supplementary. Members may remember that late last year in this very chamber the government’s ACT Youth Advisory Council, in partnership with the Youth InterACT team, held a milestone engagement with Canberra’s young people in the form of an ACT Youth Assembly.

The ACT Youth Assembly was a deliberative democracy process that brought together young people from across the ACT to consider and consult on four key topics: civic participation, youth mental health, youth homelessness, and equality and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

One hundred and sixteen young people from diverse backgrounds, ages and life experiences explored creative solutions to each of the issues through group work and discussions. Through this process, the Youth Assembly developed and endorsed 29 recommendations, which were presented to me and to the Children and Young People Commissioner in the final session of the day.

The ACT Youth Advisory Council has recently released its report on the outcomes of the ACT Youth Assembly. The report is an invaluable insight into the views and experiences of young Canberrans. I look forward to working with my colleagues in developing the government’s response to the report’s recommendations. The


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