Aotearoa Youth Declaration 2015
07 August 2015
Aotearoa Youth Declaration is a conference formed around the idea that youth below the age of 18 should be given a formal platform to express themselves on civic issues and the governance of our country.
The four-day event, held in April at the University of Auckland each year, aims to provide several benefits to young people. Firstly we focus on educating participants about a range of policy issues within discussion groups, covering topics like Education, Social Development and Science and Innovation (and many more). Secondly we offer these young people a chance to voice their personal views in a safe, apolitical and non-judgemental environment. Lastly we strive to validate the views of our participants, by engaging as many Members of Parliament, regional council members and other policy makers as possible in the process.
The result of the conference is the Youth Declaration, a document that compiles statements written by the participants that reflect their views as a collective group on a range of New Zealand issues. The Declaration is a tool to be used by policy makers, councils and businesses when wanting to understand and address the perspective of young people on an issue.
Click here to find out more and read the Aotearoa Youth Declaration 2015
Written by Gina Yukich, Aotearoa Youth Declaration 2015 conference coordinator
The image below is of the Aotearoa Youth Declaration 2015 conference attendees
