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Youth Empowerment

Young people thrive in environments where they feel valued, heard, are connected to supportive communities and have access to opportunities that support meaningful and prosperous lives.

Research shows that a sense of belonging, and connectedness is the biggest predictor of thriving youth. Opportunities that support participation in decision-making and provide space for young people to build skills, behaviours, and tools for life, learning, and work also make a significant contribution to both individual and collective resilience and wellbeing.

However, we know that many young people in Aotearoa are not thriving. They experience high rates of mental distress and have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Poor mental health for youth has adverse lifecourse consequences and is “silent pandemic” that is persistently inequitable and worsening. 

Our young people navigate increasingly complex and precarious worlds that are unrecognisable from those we grew up in. And there’s a lot at stake. The 2022 Treasury report, Te Tai Waiora, and Koi Tu’s reimagining of Tāmaki Makaurau describe, unequivocally, why we need to prioritise youth wellbeing, particularly communities experiencing the greatest challenges including Māori, Pasifika, migrant and Rainbow youth.

 
 
 

  • Young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are also the leaders of today. By involving them meaningfully in decision-making, we can build a future world where we can all flourish.

    But research shows that we often fail to engage young people in decision making or privilege their perspectives in our work. Many young people do not feel heard, valued, or have trust in public institutions.

    The Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy recognises the importance of youth voice to wellbeing. Our work is underpinned by this, alongside the Local Government Act (LGA) 2002 which gives Auckland Council a statutory responsibility to incorporate their views in decision-making and council’s I Am Auckland strategic action plan on children and young people.

  • Building a flourishing future takes a whole village, including whānau, communities, and a diverse ecology of organisations and practices.

    Our work in local government, working in partnership with community organisations and groups, contributes significantly to this ecology through regional policies and practices, neighbourhood strategies and resources, youth and community centres and programmes.

    In the last year, the Youth Empowerment team have upskilled more than 800 front line workers across 12 council departments and over 60 community delivery partner organisations in safe and effective youth practice.

    We also supported 20 youth voice groups working regionally to engage thousands of rangatahi in civic engagement and youth leadership all of which contributes to inclusive, vibrant, and responsive communities.

    Our Specialist Youth Advisors play a unique and important role in enabling systemic change and supporting the rangatahi wellbeing ecology to work in more joined-up, strategic and impactful ways. This includes:

    • Providing advice and guidance to local boards and teams across Auckland Council on impactful investment in youth decision-making, leadership, wellbeing and active participation.

    • Supporting 16 youth councils funded by local boards and other youth-led social change initiatives (overseeing funding, coaching, advising, and brokering connections and opportunities across council).

    • Partnering with community organisations to deliver diverse, locally bespoke programs, spanning youth development, workforce capability-building, education and training, health promotion, and community-led development.

    • Co-creating and testing new ways of working to strengthen practice.

    • Supporting and upskilling council departments and community partners in safe, effective, and ethical practice through training, coaching, and the production of resources.

    • Providing advisory support to teams across council, ensuring that youth voices are heard and that the needs and aspirations of young people in Auckland are being met.

  • Our Specialist Youth Advisors also support youth councils across the region to engage with thousands of young people and promote civic participation in council decision making. This includes Younite’s meet your candidate local election event and school engagement on the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board’s three year plan, and the Puketāpapa Youth Foundation’s community workshops which led to 358 submissions on the Mayor’s Annual Plan proposal 2023-24.

    By creating pathways for young people to run for governance roles – from youth councils to local boards – we support rangatahi to be leaders in their community and foster community connection, participation and belonging. Just a few examples of this are:

    We also support wellbeing initiatives such as the Upper Harbour Youth Council’s annual DeStress Yourself activities supporting student mental health during exam times and Te Kotuku Kapa Haka schools’ festival established by Te Amiorangi from Glen Innes to address youth suicide and wellbeing.