Youth involvement

In developing a global perspective students often ask 'What can I do?' Taking action to use the knowledge and skills gained through their classroom programs should be only limited by their imagination. Students' passions should be able to get around the constraints of the timetable and legal obligations. Local and global communities can benefit immensely from their energy and creativity. Here are some key pointers: Listen to what students have to say and value everyone's contribution as important. Support and encourage students using community links and volunteers to provide role models and mentors. Involve students on a variety of levels: formal decision making groups (youth councils and parliaments), projects (planning, implementing and evaluating to address identified needs), educating others (displays, talks, events), volunteering, fundraising, advocacy. Acknowledge student participation in ways they recognise as meaningful.

	Infoxchange Australia: Technology for Social Justice
	Info Xchange is a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing an up-to-date information service to the Victorian community sector. On this site, its Information Service Seeker houses a searchable database storing contact information for over 43,000 services and agencies in Victoria and New South Wales. A number of community bulletin boards, and news services monitor press releases, and list conferences related to community news, health care, youth issues, housing, and disability news, and employment. In addition the site has hot links to agency web sites and hosts a number of information pages....
	Australian Council for International Development (ACFID)
	The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) is the independent national association of Australian non-government organisations working in the field of international aid and development. It has about 80 members who have committed to the Code of Conduct which outlines standards for management, communication ad spending of funds raised. Resources on the site include background information current aid issues and links to the member NGOs....
	Contributing and changing: Young people's involvement in government planning and decision making
	This MCEETYA statement was launched on International Youth Day in August 2004. It was developed to provide a common set of guiding principles to inform youth participation practices at all levels of government, building on the agreements made in 'Stepping Forward: Improving Pathways for All Young People'. It broadly describes the actions Australian governments will take and the principles governments have endorsed to ensure young people's participation is meaningful and ongoing....
	Global Youth Service Day (GYSD)
	Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is an annual global event organised by Youth Service America and the Global Youth Action Network, together with a consortium of International Organizations and National Coordinating Committees that Celebrates, Recognizes, and Mobilizes the year-round contributions of young people to build their communities and their world through voluntary service, and the contributions made by the community (public, private, and nonprofit sectors) for empowering young people, especially through mentoring....
	Student Virtual Parliament Australia
	Student Virtual Parliament Australia is part of an international organisation with similar chapters in Australia,Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa, UK and USA. Students across the country set the agenda, debate and vote online any time. Every student has equal opportunity to influence the agenda. Operating continuously it produces a concise collective expression of student opinion on the issues of the day. The student voice in each school, electorate, state or region and for the whole country can be seen at a glance. The Student Virtual Parliament coordinates student polls with the Talkback Classroom forums organised by the National Museum of Australia and the Parliamentary Education Office. All schools are invited to register for the program. A small school registration fee applies....