2011 National Youth Conference
28 April 2011 at 2:22 pm
The Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) is coordinating the first national youth sector conference in Australia since 2007 – to be held in Sydney in May.
It is anticipated that more than 500 youth workers will attend the conference to access the most recent information about what’s happening in the area of youth policy, development and practice, and to develop networks and contacts throughout the youth sector.
The conference theme for 2011 is: Interrupting Transmission: youth | change | policy | practice
Organisers say this represents an opportunity to think about the ways to interrupt unjust patterns, and to interrupt ourselves to enable reflection on the position of young people and the youth sector.
The Conference MC will be comedian Tommy Little. At just 25 years old, Little has been labeled "The Future Of Funny" by Beat Magazine in Melbourne.
More than a comedian, organisers say Little also has an interest in the community sector. He recently facilitated an event for Mental Health Week for South West Healthcare, has worked with St Kilda Youth Services in a mentoring event for the Local Arts Initiate program, and has been involved in the Sammy D Foundation Comedy Gala in Adelaide, a foundation that educates teens about making safe choices, harm prevention, mentoring and getting involved in activities such as sport and music.
Keynote speakers include the 2011 Australian of the Year, Simon McKeon, who is also Executive Chairman of Macquarie Group’s Melbourne office along with Jan Owen the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Young Australians (www.fya.org.au) and recognised as one of the leading pioneers of Australia’s youth sector and Samah Hadid, a 22 year-old human rights advocate from Sydney who is currently completing her Masters in Human Rights Law and Policy at the University of New South Wales.
The conference will take place at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, at Darling Harbour from May 30 – June 1 2011. For information and registration go to http://www.ayac.org.au/index.php?page=about-the-conference
