6 April 2017 – Media Release
Young people aged 12 to 25 years comprise 20 per cent of Cumberland’s population, with their numbers predicted to reach 52,376 in 2036. And to coincide with National Youth Week (31 March to 9 April 2017), Cumberland Council is proud to launch its inaugural Youth Strategy.
The strategy is eight months in the making and involved an intensive program of engagement, including consultations with youth advisory groups and youth services, visits to schools across the area, audits of council owned facilities, focus groups, open forums and an online survey.
Overall, more than 1,600 young people from across Cumberland provided input to the strategy, identifying five priority areas:
1. Employment
2. Education
3. Health and Wellbeing
4. Community Connection
5. Safety
“Cumberland is home to a special group of diverse, influential and promising young people and it was essential that Council addressed their needs, expectations and aspirations. This Strategy is a whole of community plan for supporting them in every way we possibly can,” Cumberland Council General Manager Malcolm Ryan said.
“Engagement was maximised through an interactive social media campaign ‘Shape Cumberland’, driven by the Cumberland Youth Collective, a group of promising local young people. They used creative methods, insider knowledge and their own networks to engage at a level that Council Officers cannot. This resulted in excellent data to base this strategy on.
“It was essential to ensure young people are consulted in a more coordinated manner. As already demonstrated in the development stage, the Strategy ensures young people are actively involved in the planning, implementation and evaluation of projects that have a direct impact on their lives.”
“The key focus of Council will be to support, strengthen and increase the scale of the important work, which is already happening locally which involves building the capacity of local groups, service providers and other stakeholders.”
Cumberland Council is asking for feedback on the strategy before it becomes a reality. Please have your say by clicking here.
