In 2015 Millennium Kids CEO, Cat, was contracted to work with the South East Corridor Youth Partnership Project (YPP) a Collective Impact initiative, promoting collaboration between government, community services and young people to improve outcomes for children and young people in the South East Corridor of Perth, and all of Western Australia. A key foundation of the project was recognising that young people’s voices and opinions are valuable, and it is essential that young people are able to contribute and be involved in the decisions that affect them. The MK ‘youth voice’ approach was employed as a key methodology when engaging with young people.

As a result, the YPP, led by its Youth Leadership Roundtable (YLR), held the Speak Out for Change: Youth Voices on Youth Issues Summit, which aimed to encourage and enable young people to have their voices heard on key issues that affect them.

The Summit was held on the 15th of April 2015, and was the largest youth advocacy event during National Youth Week 2015 in Western Australia, engaging over 100 young people as well as over 90 key stakeholders from government, the youth sector and the community in open consultations and issue-specific workshops.
This report documents the Summit Journey – providing background into the YPP, the growth of the Youth Leadership Roundtable, the development of the Youth2Youth consultation approach and the format of the actual event.

Kids were raising a range of issues but it was very important to MK to note two key areas of sustainability noted in the Speak Out For Change Report – Climate Change and Public Transport. Speak Out for Change Report

Climate Change
CC1 Action the recommendations from existing and future climate change research
CC2 Seek to make cities more sustainable and adopt climate-friendly policies, such as economic incentives and subsidies
to “go green”
CC3 Encourage individuals and community to make environmentally friendly choices and embrace sustainability
CC4 Consider environmental issues and policy when electing government representatives, and continue to place pressure
on government and elected representatives
CC5 Develop greater awareness of sustainability and climate change issues through community and school-based
education

Public Transport
PT1 Provide more transit guards, lighting and surveillance cameras to help young people feel safe when traveling on
public transport
PT2 Ensure transit guards are approachable, respectful and understanding, including having training on engaging
effectively with young people and people of diverse cultural backgrounds
PT3 Investigate opportunities for public transport to help address social issues