Youth empowered at Armidale forum

Many of the region’s young people were empowered with greater knowledge and confidence in their own identity, during the 2018 Armidale Regional Youth Forum.

Be proud of who you are and speak out if you have a problem were two key messages to the approximately 70 students and young people who attended this year’s event, held at the Armidale City Bowling Club on 8 August.

Participants travelled from Walcha, Lake Macquarie, Tingha and Guyra to be part of the biennial forum, which enabled young people to speak to their peers, as well as several community leaders.

The event was a special opportunity for young people to provide input on issues that are important in their lives, according to Armidale Regional Youth Advisory Committee (AYRAC) member Sophie Mackson.

AYRAC organised the event, with support from Council, and selected the forum’s four themes: sexuality, mental health, bullying and drugs & alcohol.

Several participants said they were particularly inspired by the personal stories of presenters who had to deal with adversity in their lives.

NSW Police LGBTI Liaison Officer & Peer Support Officer Jarryd De Castro told the forum knowledge is understanding and overcame issues of personal identity. Senior Constable De Castro, a guest speaker at the event, said it was important people were socially aware of how people might identify themselves.

He said it was also essential that young people were “true to themselves”.

Another guest speaker, Greens MP Dr Mehreen Faruqi, said the young participants raised some “incredibly insightful and important questions on how they can make a difference”.

Dr Faruqi said it was unacceptable for young people to be forced to sit on the sidelines while other people had conversations “about your economic future, or sustainability or the health of our planet”.

“When we make policies with the active involvement of young people we ensure that they will have a fair go at having a decent future – a future that they want, not one only we think will be good for them,” she said.

“By doing this we create equality of opportunity and that leads to good outcomes for all – and a giant leap forward in our society. Social attitudes are changing and becoming more inclusive and that’s due to efforts of young people like yourselves. You must reject pessimism and cynicism, and know that progress is possible.”

Council’s Youth & Family Coordinator, Alice Cleaver, said the event showed mental health was a pressing issue for many young people and participants at the forum left with a better understanding of the assistance available.

“This was a real positive because in 2013-2014, Beyond Blue reported that one in seven Australians aged four to 17 years experienced a mental health condition,” she said.

“Participants at the forum were encouraged to take these conversations back to their peers and pass on the information they learnt.”