| Social Priority Issue: Youth |
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Youth populations vary considerably from the mean intra-regionally, with the highest proportion (19.9%) located in Lismore and the lowest proportion (7.2%) in the Richmond Valley. Youth issues were ranked as the fourth regional priority as a result of consultations held in 2002, although some areas within the region were under-represented for their views on young people. The Evidence In 2002, the youth sector expressed dissatisfaction with the parade of pilot programs that come and go without being followed bv recurrent funding and there is no evidence that this situation has changed for the better in 2005 The consequence of continual stop-start funding is that funds that could be a modest but reliable foundation stone to support long-term youth initiatives dissipate. Sustainability of programs only comes with long term commitment, and commitment to providing a worthwhile future for young people in this region is surely, without argument, worth the investment. It is accepted as a rite of passage that rural/regional youth leave home after schooling is complete to pursue life in the city as a matter of free choice. In the Northern Rivers, the number of young people aged 17-19 who reside in the region is almost half that of those aged 12 to 16. Our anecdotal evidence gathered from consultations infers however, that rather than it being a ‘rite of passage’ to go to the city, many young people have no choice but to leave the region in order to gain equitable access to jobs, education and a range of career choices. It is a broad assumption, but one with possible merit, to state that there are also those can’t leave to better their chances in life because they are caught up in a cycle of social and economic disadvantage. It is this group we most poorly serve as a region that looks to the future for growth sustainable expansion. In 2002, consultations around youth issues identified lack of affordable public transport to get young people into education and employment opportunities. It is clear that the top regional concern for young people identified in the 2002 consultations has not improved in 2005: “Transport has long been identified as a critical issue for Byron Shire…..” Byron Shire Social Plan, 2004. “One of the main issues raised during the consultation was the lack of transport services in Kyogle…….” "Given the small income base many young people experience, the cost of public transport is relatively high…..e.g. a young person who travels from Ballina to Lismore by bus will be required to pay $22.50 per day or $111.00 per week.” Ballina Shire Council Social Plan 2004. Current and Proposed NRSDC Actions NRSDC want to find a way for young people to have a voice in this region so they become stronger and more confident members of the community. We need strong signals from government that the young are valued as future leaders of regional industry and communities. NRSDC also acknowledges that there is much work to do if young people in the region are to have full access to education, employment and training in order to attain this vision Encourage youth to have a voice in this region NRSDC has requested that the youth representative be linked to the organization in order that young people in the sector can make their views known at a ministerial level Regional Youth Planning A regional exercise such as a Dusseldorf Youth Skills Forum process may be a way of building wider boundaries of trust. A Youth Charter as an expression of faith in the future for our regional young people There is a Local Government Youth Charter process that has been conducted in Victoria with apparent success This is a project that could be initiated and developed by the Regional CPO Group. Sources
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15.2% of the Northern Rivers population are young people aged between 12-24 years of age and Social Plans completed by Local Government Officers in the region during 2005 provide good reference material for an in-depth view of youth affairs at the intra-regional level.