Youth Leadership Roundtable provides a youth voice

I welcomed the opportunity to meet with members of the Youth Leadership Roundtable on the weekend, as part of Save the Children’s South East Corridor Youth Partnership Project.

The roundtable comprises 13 remarkable young people who have faced their own struggles and hardship, and who are now inspiring young leaders and positive role models working together to improve the wellbeing of children and young people.

The role of the Youth Leadership Roundtable is to provide the ‘youth voice’ for the Youth Partnership Project so that the priority issues and challenges for young people in the South East Corridor are heard and understood.

It was inspiring to meet with these future leaders and hear them speak about some of the issues they are passionate about and the events and activities that will be rolled out as part of the project.

I was most impressed to hear about the Speak Out for Change: Youth Voices on Youth Issues Summit that these young people will host and present at as part of the 2015 National Youth Week next month.

The Summit is an opportunity to engage with other young people in the community, genuinely hear what they say and create an opportunity to work better together through a whole-of-community approach.

The South East Corridor Youth Partnership Project is an innovative two-year collective impact initiative funded through the Social Innovation Grants program focused on collaboration between stakeholders to improve the lives and circumstances of all young people, particularly those who are vulnerable and at-risk.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet the Youth Leadership Roundtable members and I wish you all the very best next month with the Summit.

Jenni Perkins
Acting Commissioner for Children and Young People