Youth Forum - Right to Participation
Youth Forum (2023)
This year marks the Centre's third consecutive year hosting human-rights focused youth forums in collaboration with the Human Rights for NSW Alliance, which is convened by Australian Lawyers for Human Rights. This year, our Youth Forum will focus on the human right to participate in political and public life. We invite schools in the Newcastle and Hunter region to nominate four students to participate. Please send through nominations by Wednesday 23 October and direct nominations to socialjustice@newcstle.edu.au.
Event Goals:
The right to participate in political and public life should not be regarded as a privilege – instead, it is the right of all young people. Yet in Australia and internationally, young people face barriers to participating in their communities and informing decision-making that affects them. This forum will build students’ understanding of their right to participate in political and public life, including in terms of how young people can inform decision-making that affects their lives and futures.
The Centre for Law and Social Justice is a proud member of the Human Rights for New South Wales Alliance. This Alliance brings together community and legal organisations to campaign for legislation to protect the rights of people in NSW. Such legislation already exists in other Australian jurisdictions, and a national Charter of Rights campaign is also underway.
Event Design:
This forum will be a fully catered, participatory event. It is scheduled to run from 9.30am to 2.30pm on Wednesday 6 November at the University of Newcastle’s NUspace campus. NUspace is located at 409 Hunter St, Newcastle and the event will be held in room X-101 (on the first floor of the building). This campus is accessible by public transport, including bus and light rail. University staff will be on hand throughout the day to support student needs. There will be no cost to student participants. Students will be seated at collaborative tables with representatives from multiple schools. Each table will be hosted by a University staff member or student, who will act as scribe for the group’s discussions. The majority of the day’s schedule will be devoted to facilitated collaboration on the key questions for the forum. School teachers are not required to attend, however teachers are most welcome. At previous forums, some schools have sent teachers with their student groups and others have not.
The forum will be attended by Jodie Harrison, Federal Member for Charlestown and Minister for Women and Prevention of Domestic Violence. In the final session, all participants will work together to develop a ‘School Students’ Statement on the Right to Participate’. Minister Harrison will witness the final drafting session and respond to the students’ views. She will also engage in a Q&A session with student participants. The Centre for Law and Social Justice will publish this statement online and distribute copies to participants, their schools, education authorities and policy makers to convey the perspectives of young people on their right to participate in political and public life.
Our invitation to your school:
We would greatly appreciate your nomination of four students to participate in this forum. This event would be best suited to students in Years 9-11. We request you consider nominating students from diverse backgrounds as we are aiming to host an event that includes the perspectives of First Nations students, students with disability, students from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, and students from low-SES backgrounds. We also request that you consider nominating students who are particularly engaged in advocacy, human rights or social justice.
This forum aims to engage students from Newcastle and the Hunter region in the campaign for comprehensive human rights protection in NSW. As such, it connects to multiple goals of the NSW curriculum. It also provides an opportunity for local students to engage with the University of Newcastle and the School of Law and Justice.
More information on our previous Youth Forums can be found here.
Event Information
- Date: This event was held on Wednesday 6 November 2024
- Location: University of Newcastle NUSpace Campus, 409 Hunter Street Newcastle, Level One, Room X-101
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.