NT Youth Strategy: First Territory wide plan in development

The government has committed to developing the first ever Territory-wide youth strategy. It’s now time for young people to step up and have their say.

Young people are raising their voices and advocating for their futures in developing the first ever Territory-wide Youth Strategy.

The Youth Roundtable is in discussion with the NT government as a key stakeholder in the development of a new plan.

For the first time in 25 years the roundtable went south of the Berrimah Line to Alice Springs, for the third annual face-to-face meeting to speak with Youth Minister Lauren Moss.

There the panel, made up entirely of Territorians aged 18 to 25, identified their key priorities, including as mental health, education, the environment and youth justice.

NT Youth Round Table member Isla Hooper, 20, and Chair Jahdai Vigona, 21, at the third in-person 2022 Youth Roundtable meeting in Alice Springs.

NT Youth Round Table Chair Jahdai Vigona said it was time for the Territory to hear young voices.

The 21-year-old and proud Tiwi Islands man said he joined the round table to strengthen the social and emotional health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Mr Vigona said the meeting allowed young leaders to bring up major issues impacting young Territorians directly to ministers, departments and service providers.

“It could be mental health, education, employment, or crime, all these topics that impact youth in the community,” he said.

At the meeting, 2022 NT Young Australian of the Year Sizol Fuyana spoke about her work, which included founding Fuyana Support, a youth consultancy firm which designs mentorship programs for children leaving the justice system.

Education Minister Eva Lawler and Youth Minister Lauren Moss meet with members of the 2022 Youth Roundtable in Alice Springs.

The young leaders also attended the Alice Spring’s Town Council’s first Youth Summit.

Ms Moss said the talks raised the platform of youth voices, particularly in Central Australia.

She said the government was committed to developing a youth strategy across government.

“The Round Table has a direct audience with us in government and they make really amazing recommendations that we can go away and consider,” she said.

Territory Families has previously published regional youth action plans for Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and the Gove Peninsular, but the new plan will unify and update the Territory-wide approach.

The latest Darwin and Alice Springs action plans were published three years ago, in 2019.

Originally published as NT Youth Strategy: First Territory wide plan in development