Australian Youth Representative to the UN 2021

For the past 21 years, the Youth Representative program  has shown the world how incredibly passionate and inspiring young Australians really are, helping us give a voice to thousands of young people who have felt underrepresented. 

This program is the biggest face to face consultation and amplifies the need for youth involvement and engagement in advocacy and decision making. And yet, the Youth Rep program is fundamentally grassroots. Funding is almost entirely from partnerships and donations, and even then the Youth Rep lives on a shoestring budget -- unpaid, and often sleeping on the couches of UN Youth's own volunteers.

Appointed annually by UN Youth Australia and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations undertakes Australia's largest consultation of young people. From some of the most rural communities to urban centres, the six-month Listening Tour is Australia's most comprehensive insight into what young Australians value and need in their communities.

The 2021 Youth Rep, Lucy Stronach, has an unparalleled ability to put young people's issues front and centre, with a line directly to national and international change-makers. Through a nearly two-month posting within the Australian delegation to the United Nations, the needs of young Australians are declared on the global stage, most prominently through a speech delivered by the Youth Rep to the UN General Assembly. 

The challenges faced by young people are both immense and systemic. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, these issues are magnified, highlighting areas of improvement in policy and practice moving past this crisis. Moving forward, it is my number one priority to ensure as many diverse, underrepresented and voiceless young Australians have a platform to share their stories and their needs.

That's why we need your help, now more than ever before. 

Big or small, your donation will help the  Lucy in conducting Australia’s largest consultation of young people at a crucial time. There are few opportunities that have such a significant impact on young Australians and with your support, Lucy is be able to continue her mission to engage and inspire youth as the 2021 Youth Rep.

In November, December, and January the Youth Rep makes sure those voices are heard domestically by publishing a public, in-depth report, running events in Parliament and conducting some of Australia's most comprehensive meetings between young people and their representatives.

During her Tour, Lucy will be asking young Australians the following question: ’What would Australia look like if young people were the key drivers of decision making?’

In other words- what change can we make if we all work together to come up with clever and science-backed solutions to fix our biggest problems? We have spent too long discussing issues and too little time actualising solutions. Now is the time to make real and tangible change driven by young people. 

Our movement is only just beginning.

Stand with us as we stand with Australia's young people.

Give change for youth-led change.