Participation in Practice

The Taking Young People Seriously handbooks, produced in 2004, are a series of resources exploring young people's participation in their communities. They were developed by the Youth Affairs Council and the Office for Youth, Department for Victorian Communities as the product of a partnership project called Participation in Practice. The series contains:

Consulting young people about their ideas and opinions: A handbook for organisations working with young people (PDF file 1010 kb)

Young people on boards and committees: A handbook for organisations working with young people (PDF file 973 kb)

Creating Change in your community: A handbook for young people
(PDF file 1013 kb)

The handbooks outline some principles of young people's participation and practical advice that help ensure that young people are included, empowered and purposefully engaged. They focus on young people's participation in consultations, organisational structures or in other activities in creating change in their communities. The resources were written following consultations with young people and youth service providers across the state, who shared their knowledge and experiences with the project to ensure the development of relevant, useful and timely resources.

Other participation resources

The following are up to date publications which provide information on the concept of youth participation plus tips and resources on how to involve young people in decision making processes.

> TAKING PARTicipation Seriously

NSW Commission For Children And Young People (2001)

This is a practical guide in helping children and young people take part in decision-making. This guide is divided into three separate booklets that give ideas on effective participation. "Sharing the Stage", "Conferences and Events" and Why and how participation is important".

> Promoting Children's Participation in Democratic Decision-Making

Gerison Lansdown for UNICEF (2001)

This publication offers information on how to involve children and young people in conferences. It also includes an overview of Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights Of The Child 12

For more info see: http://www.unicef-icdc.org/publications/pdf/insight6.pdf

> Youth Partnership and Participation (1998)

Foundation for Young Australians

This kit looks at the different reasons to be involved in youth participation and provides a broad list of principles as a basis for youth participation.
For more info see: www.youngaustralians.org.au/

> Youth Participation Handbook - A Guide for organisations seeking to involve young people on boards and committees.

Government of South Australia, Office of Employment and Youth (2000)

Deals with the involvement of young people in governance structures, focusing on boards, committees and youth advisory groups. This handbook provides information on why and how to involve young people in decision making. A basic summary of the key steps of selection and recruitment is also useful.

For more info see: http://www.maze.sa.gov.au/program.asp

> Bikes, bands and strategic plans - Including Young People in the Business of Local government

Local Government Association of Queensland

This Resource Kit looks at Local Government's role with young people, and provides practical assistance for developing local strategies, as well as good ideas from around Queensland. The Kit includes 3 elements: A Policy Framework for Local Government A Resource Manual incorporating practical advice and information for Councils in developing local youth strategies A Good Practice Guide collating a range of good ideas from around the State.

For more info see: http://www.lgaq.asn.au/