A plan which pulls together actions across government that are aimed at assisting young people aged 10-25 years has been launched.
Many of the actions are intended to assist young people in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ‘Beyond 2020 – WA Youth Action Plan’ draws on years of consultation and the work that was done during the emergency phase of COVID-19. It outlines how the State Government is supporting young Western Australians and the communities they live in, as the State begins to recover from the pandemic and its consequences.
Young people have been affected by compounding issues such as job losses, insecure employment, social isolation, and limited access to digital technology.
During the state of emergency, the State Government worked with the youth services sector through the COVID-19 Youth Taskforce and listened to the Ministerial Youth Roundtable to understand how the pandemic was affecting young people’s lives.
Young people account for almost 20 per cent of WA’s population, with 21 per cent living in regional WA. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people account for 6 per cent of the population, while an estimated 11 per cent identify as LGBTIQA+ and 2 per cent of WA young people have a disability.
The document features artwork by Tyrown Waigana, a young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artist and designer, who recently won the prestigious 2020 NAIDOC Week poster competition.
To complement the launch of the Plan, COVID-19 Youth Recovery Grants of up to $10,000 are available for local governments and community organisations to implement projects that engage young people (10–25 years) in creative ways and help achieve positive outcomes for young people in the community.
