Youth Advisory Committees
What is a Youth Advisory Committee?
Youth Advisory Committees (YACs) are a tool to assist Local Councils to meet their community engagement obligations as they relate to young people.
YACs are groups of young people aged 12-25 years who work in partnership with Local Councils to provide advice on decisions that affect their lives.
YACs also plan activities and projects that encourage young people’s active engagement in their local communities.
Each YAC differs depending on their location and the demographics and social issues of their region.Their priority and the resources allocated to them also differ.
Some YACs operate as formal section 41 sub-committees of Council, others use informal structures or operate as interest groups that form and disband as required (see link to YAC models for more details).
The Office for Youth provides state coordination of the Youth Advisory Committee program within South Australia.
The Office for Youth provides local councils with the following support:
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Annual funding to establish, support or develop a YAC
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Resources such as information booklets on youth engagement, child protection and volunteering, as well as promotional materials for YAC and National Youth Week (NYW)
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Advice on such things as lead practice youth participation in local government
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Training including YAC Coordinator inductions and Preparing for NYW – event management and media promotions
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Promotion of YAC achievements and
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Other support such as YAC member certificates and council visits as required.
What funding is available?
Youth Advisory Committee grant funding consist of three components:
YAC Core Funding of up to $3,000 per year is available to support the operations of the Youth Advisory Committee. Ongoing funding is subject to the successful completion of an Annual Report.
National Youth Week Funding of $1,500 per annum is available to support the running of National Youth Week activities. Participation in National Youth Week is voluntary and Councils can elect to apply for these funds.
YAC Diversity Funding are supplementary funds available to assist councils to address issues of access and equity and/or engage a broader range of young people in Youth Advisory Committee activities.
For more information, please contact Amanda Putrus (08) 8204 8476
For more information please refer to the YAC Guidelines link on the right.
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