Updates

New strategy to deliver for young Queenslanders

Queensland Government media release

The Queensland Government has released the Young Queenslanders Strategy to drive meaningful change for young people. The strategy will give Queensland’s more than 900,000 young people the support they need to thrive. It will be delivered through action plans which will evolve over time – with the first to run from 2024 to 2026.

The strategy and its first whole-of-government action plan were created following consultation with the Youth Strategy Engagement Group and First Nations Youth Strategy Engagement Group.

Thousands of young people from right across the state had a chance to influence the strategy and action plan, including through Speak OUT events across Queensland.

Young Queenslanders shared their experiences and aspirations to build an understanding of their needs, now and into the future.

Young people said they want to feel safe, connected with community, and to have meaning in their lives.

While many young people feel they are well on their way to success, some feel they are unprepared for adulthood and want to obtain skills to better equip them for life.

The first action plan includes commitments that respond to the diverse needs of young Queenslanders and amplify their voices, including to:

• co-design a whole-of-government Youth Participation Framework and Code of Practice to ensure young people’s views are heard, influence government policies and programs, and support their participation in decision-making
• enhance engagement with young people through Speak OUTs to facilitate information sharing across government to inform the development of youth policies, programs, and services
• develop resources that provide easier access to trusted information and advice for young people, including for life skills and grants funding processes, and
• through the Putting Queensland Kids First initiative, co-design, deliver, and evaluate a pilot leadership and development program to give young First Nations parents tools and skills to help their children become future leaders in their community.

The Young Queenslanders Strategy can be viewed here.