Youth Engagement Grants - funding available

The purpose of the funding is to:

·         facilitate local forums that involve young people and enable them to engage effectively with their communities

·         support young people to lead projects and activities to respond to the issues that are identified in the forum.

·         increase opportunities for issues of relevance to young people and for local government youth networks to be raised and addressed

·         create opportunities for young people to participate in decision making and policy development about issues that affect them

·         enhance and promote opportunities for young people to develop new skills, interests and leadership potential, particularly those from vulnerable, at-risk and marginalised backgrounds.

Additionally the regional youth forums will strengthen the connections between statewide consultative processes and young people in their local communities through:

·         providing an opportunity for the Queensland Government to consult young people about priority youth issues

·         developing links between young people and regional and statewide consultative mechanisms — such as ministerial regional community forums, including Community Cabinet, youth networks, youth worker inter-agencies, the Queensland Youth Forum, the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program, the YMCA Youth Parliament and the Ministerial Advisory Council on Youth Violence

·      consultation and collaboration with Department of Communities regional offices about regional priorities in the development of the forum/s and projects funded under the Youth Engagement Grants.