Question 1

Meet the Youth Advisory Board: Chloe from Frankston-Mornington Peninsula

Accepted Answer

What was your first ever job?
My first ever job was a volunteer position at an Op Shop, following that I got my first paid position in retail at Target where I worked for 3 and a half years!
How did you go from there to here?
While working in retail I learned a lot about myself which lead me to lived experience advocacy. I already had a keen interest in humans and make things better as I had completed a Bachelors degree in both psychological science and criminology. So over the last 2 years I have done a lot of work in both the mental health and disability sectors to advocate and inform change as a young person. I was a youth advisor for the NCED’s inclusive pathways to work program which lead me to become even more interested in the systemic issues young people face in gaining and keeping meaningful employment.
What&#8217;s something different about your local community?
I think the inclusivity is really a growing thing in my community such as the presence of Sunflower lanyards at the different shopping centres. Frankston also has a thriving arts community with the Arts Centre and I think that’s really cool as someone who values art and theatre. One of my favourite things about my community too is the local library and the services connected for young people. I find that it is a super important pillar in the community for people to come together.
What are you working on right now?
At the moment I am working with as a youth advisor on the YAB for the NYEB here at BSL, but also at an organisation called Satellite Foundation. We are creating and about to launch some resources we’ve cocreated for young people who have family members with mental health challenges and/or identify as young carers. I am also growing my presence online in the theatre community and aim to extend my advocacy to the arts sector which is currently struggling. 
What&#8217;s a tip for someone trying to do what you&#8217;re doing?
Look for opportunities! Sign up for mailing lists for youth advocacy programs etc. Apply to any no matter how short-term they are. The more you do, the more connections you make! Any opportunity has the ability to open up doors to so many others, so don’t miss out just because it seems small. If you’re interested in advocacy just go for it and trust your voice.
What do you want to learn next?
I want to learn how to use both facts and experience to inform policy. Research, policy and advocacy are super interesting to me and I think are a really important component for change. I’m excited to develop my knowledge and be able to confidently speak on all the issues I am passionate about.		
About Chloe 
Chloe Sumner is currently working as a youth advisor at both the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Satellite Foundation. Being a youth advisor is an important role as she believes that you cannot make decisions and change for young people without centring them in the conversation. Chloe has two Bachelors degrees in Psychological Science and Criminology and has done quite a bit of advocacy work in both the mental health and disability sectors. In the past year Chloe was a youth advisor for the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s National Collaboration on Employment and Disability with the Inclusive Pathways to Work program. She helped to inform decisions and create resources to improve accessibility and inclusion. Outside of work Chloe is a big believer in indulging in whatever brings you joy. She loves Taylor Swift, musical theatre and all sorts of tv shows and movies. Reading is one her main passions and you will often find her lost in a book. Chloe is excited to be joining the National Youth Employment Body Youth Advisory Board and looks forward to working with the team to move towards change.

Question 2

“Building Pathways, Not Programs - A Systems Approach to Youth Employment” at Social Impact Summit

Accepted Answer

The NYEB team was invited to collaborate with Creating Chances to bring a practical, place-based systems perspective to the Social Impact Summit. The session invited attendees to reflect on how, in a sector often trapped in shorter program-based funding cycles, we can shift to a systems thinking approach that allows us to work in a more impactful way. The Creating Chances team explained their model for supporting a young person from primary school all the way through to accredited employment.
Anna set the scene by explaining that a common experience for young people not engaged in employment, education or training: they are often facing multiple barriers which are interconnected to the wider systems. When we apply systems thinking and add place-based context, we can shift our practice, use that as data and evidence and ultimately build advocacy messaging, which can shift policy.
Anamlee and Anna examples of how NYEB alliance members had successfully demonstrated that through the NYEB model, the work of CICs and the recent Employment Service System Reform.
This introduction led into an interactive workshop where participants worked through real-world examples of the employment barriers young people face. Together, they explored potential responses, with facilitators drawing connections between participants&#8217; ideas and the key elements of systems change. The activity encouraged attendees to think beyond program-level solutions and consider how they could influence the broader systems shaping young people&#8217;s employment outcomes.
Reflecting on the experience, Anna she is “most proud of speaking at the Social Impact Summit […] Representing an organisation doing work I believe in, and having our insight valued among so many field experts, meant a lot.”
Anna is excited to apply her experience speaking on systems thinking and change to an advocacy project the Youth Advisory Board are currently developing, creating a webinar and resource launching in late 2026.

Question 3

Building a Youth-Focused Partnership in Hume

Accepted Answer

The City of Hume, located in the north-west of Melbourne, is characterised by strong community connections and a local council that is embedded in a range of groups that support its residents with employment, education and training. As number of collaborative networks already existed in the region, including the Hume Jobs and Skills Taskforce, early discussions between BSL and the council were essential to ensure alignment with existing efforts and to avoid duplication. Key to these conversations was a respect for the local area and an understanding that existing models couldn’t just be replicated but instead needed to complement and connect what was already happening in place.
Building alignment and trust
Through open and respectful dialogue, BSL and the council worked together to identify gaps in the existing landscape of networks. They recognised that a CIC focusing specifically on youth employment could complement existing efforts rather than compete with them. The CIC was formed as a youth-specific, grassroots working group of the existing Jobs and Skills Taskforce, feeding into broader employment policy conversations in Hume. By clearly defining its focus, the CIC was able to establish its unique role within the broader system.
Regular feedback between the CIC and the Hume Jobs and Skills Taskforce strengthened system connections, ensuring new initiatives were informed by and contributed to existing strategies. Council’s existing role as an intermediary between employers and employment services helped shape the CIC’s collaborative approach to employer engagement. Rather than duplicating employer outreach, BSL and Hume City Council co-designed a partnership model that built on the council’s networks and capacity: an ‘employment facilitator’ role is now shared between both organisations.
Collaboration in practice
This partnership evolved into a co-leadership model, with both organisations sharing responsibility for the CIC’s coordination. The council’s enduring role in the community positioned it as a sustainable anchor for the CIC beyond the TtW program. While there were initial challenges in navigating roles and responsibilities, transparency, open communication and mutual trust became defining features of the partnership. Both organisations’ commitment to the national policy conversation around youth employment, through its connection to the NYEB, and their willingness to adapt to new ideas reflected a shared commitment to community-led problem solving.
The co-leads of the Hume CIC share their tips for an enduring and active CIC in the NYEB Community Investment Committee Practice Guide.

Question 4

Postcard from Frankston Mornington Peninsula: where the whole CIC is pitching in

Accepted Answer

The FMPYEB surveyed local parents and carers through schools, social networks, youth employment services, and the Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN). A clear message emerged: people didn’t know where to start, and information was fragmented.
When the LLEN began developing a new website, the FMPYEB chose not to create another resource. Instead, they collaborated to consolidate their knowledge into a single, central source of information—responding directly to the community’s need for one clear, accessible point of truth.
The FMPYEB’s employer capability working group also surveyed employers and discovered that they were facing similar challenges in accessing information about employing young people. So the LLEN and FMPYEB extended the website to include an employer section too.
Working together, members of the FMPYEB and the LLEN ensured the website was designed to genuinely engage young people, parents, carers, and employers. This collaborative approach has resulted in a resource that reflects the needs of our community and strengthens the support available to local families and businesses.
Everyone on the FMPYEB was invested in making it a success.
The FMP Pathways website officially launched last month.

Question 5

How local insights drove a 38% increase in young hires for a regional aged care employer

Accepted Answer

I&#8217;ve been involved in my local CIC – Careers 4 Youth – since
2022. I work for Banksia Villages, a not-for-profit aged care provider on the
south coast of New South Wales in the Eurobodalla region. Eurobodalla is a
regional area, and I was approached at the conception of the local CIC to be an
employer representative. We&#8217;ve been fortunate that the CIC has decided to focus
most of its work on aged care, which is a large employer base in our area.
																														
Aged care’s challenge in the Eurobodalla region: attracting young people.
One big workforce challenge we experience at Banksia is an ageing workforce, common with many providers. We have approximately 170 staff, with nearly 50% being over 50 years of age. One of Banksia’s strategic priorities is to grow our workforce for the future, which means engaging young people. 
The CIC is playing a significant role in this. Being in a regional area, we see many of our younger people move away from the area after finishing high school for either greater career prospects or further studies such as university.
To give young people a reason to stay, we need to give them great career prospects, so the CIC’s focus on aged care has been fantastic. 
Working with young people.
We have had a lot of exposure to young people because we have been involved [through the CIC] in activities organised with local schools like entrepreneurial workshops and career bootcamps.
Three different high schools were involved in the entrepreneurial workshops. Feedback through this workshop demonstrated how some young people view working in aged care.  I asked the group of students I was working with in this workshop, “What does work in aged care look like to you?” and one young woman said, “It&#8217;s gross. I don&#8217;t want to be toileting and showering old people.” That comment stayed with me, and I realised, if this is how aged care is stereotyped among young people, something must change. In addition, feedback showed us young people often think aged care is only about care and clinical roles, we had to open their eyes up to the vast array of roles and career options available to them.
This led to a lot of work with the CIC and young people on breaking down the stereotype and getting young people to understand the career options.

One thing led to another, and Banksia’s new banner…
These insights from working with the CIC and young people have changed how we do some of our marketing at Banksia. During marketing committee meetings, discussions around career journeys and career options for younger people developed into the idea of a banner providing a visual representation of a roadmap. Our marketing lead provided a brief to our graphic designer which included a request for the aged care career journey to be depicted as a cartoon style road map.  A hand drawn road map was provided to the designer, and the final product was simplified for ease of reading.
We never thought that a simple banner could open so much engagement and discussion with young people. Sometimes at job expos, we see them looking at it and absorbing the information. This gives us a great opportunity to start a conversation with the young person. They don&#8217;t realise we have maintenance, we have qualified chefs, we have horticulturists, there are so many different pathways, and it really starts to break down that stereotype for aged care. It gets the young people curious. We have got some great relationships with our local schools, and we encourage students to come in for work experience. It was incredible how one banner can open up conversations and engage young people.

Question 6

Meet the Youth Advisory Board: Anna from Eurobodalla

Accepted Answer

What was your first ever job?
A waitress at an oyster farm. I’m very clumsy and think oysters are gross so it was definitely a learning experience for me!
How did you go from there to here?
I got a job making coffee with a really great manager who was super involved in our community, she sent me the job request and told me to go for it!
What&#8217;s something different about your local community?
I grew up in a coastal town that’s pretty small, so no matter what time you go to the beach you’re bound to run into someone you know. I’ve now moved to Sydney for uni, it’s very different but I’m lucky enough to live in student accommodation, which is like having your own little community.
What are you working on right now?
I’m in my second year on the YAB and I think I’m still learning to be more confident taking opportunities to grow. I’ve just started uni so I’m learning lots! The biggest step for me is time management, I’m working on being efficient as possible, to do my shopping when I’m already in town, and my homework when I’m at school!
What&#8217;s a tip for someone trying to do what you&#8217;re doing?
Stay positive, and don’t overthink it! Sometimes your own doubts can be your biggest enemy, it’s better to get out there and keep giving it a go, even if you’re messing up, it’s better than if you did nothing.
																														
About Anna
Anna Woolnough represents Eurobodalla on the Youth Advisory Board at the National Youth Employment Body, where she works to advocate for young people and engage in discussions around youth employment and involvement. She is also currently studying a Bachelor of Architecture and Environments at the University of Sydney. 
Her previous roles include serving as a school prefect and participating as a national MUNA speaker. These experiences have helped her develop leadership, communication, and public speaking skills. Anna has also served as a youth representative on her local boardriders committee, where she assisted with event planning and fundraising efforts. 
Anna is passionate about roles that have a positive impact on communities, and she enjoys opportunities that involve teamwork and learning. Outside of work, she enjoys snowboarding, spending time at the beach, and seeking out new experiences that broaden her perspective.

Question 7

Adelaide Roundtable speeds up solutions

Accepted Answer

40 people attended from across the youth employment sector, including young people, employers, driving instructors, youth program providers, council employees and government representatives from DEWR and the Department of Education.

The challenges:

Adelaide’s public transport system is not adequately servicing young people, with long, inconvenient routes that are poorly connected to industries actively hiring youth workers.

Many employers cannot hire young people without a driver’s licence, even for entry-level roles. Some jobs that do not genuinely require licences are still listing them as mandatory.

Licensing costs are a major barrier, and driving lessons are expensive and difficult to access. Many young people lack access to a supervising adult to complete logbook hours, and parents and carers often do not feel equipped to teach learner drivers, despite logbook guidance being available.

Employers highlighted that licensing and training systems are also expensive for providers: it takes around 12 months and $20,000 to become a qualified driving instructor. Lesson costs have increased by approximately 15% in the past year.

Road injury rates have doubled in the last five years and transport remains one of the highest-risk industries for workplace injury and death. Panellists stressed that reforms should improve access without lowering safety standards.

Employers are increasingly creating internal solutions to support young people into work:

Fleurieu Milk Company funds heavy vehicle licences ($2,000–$3,000 each), mentorship, and upskilling pathways for young workers with strong cultural fit.

Symons Clark Logistics partnered with Lighthouse Youth Projects to provide work readiness, transport and logistics exposure, and funded machinery training while supporting young people through licensing pathways.

Mentorship and subsidised driving programs were identified as highly effective:Workskil Australia’s “Geared for Work” program connects young people with driving mentors and employment pathways, including exemptions for those without parental support.Panel members called for:

more subsidised lessons,

driving mentorship programs,

clearer information on available supports,

reduced administrative barriers,

and licensing support integrated into schools and vocational education.

Suggested reforms included:

recognising defensive driving courses toward logbook hours,

embedding driving education into Certificate I–III pathways,improving parent education,

and building stronger partnerships between schools, employers, instructors, and government.

A consistent message from the panel was that driver licensing should be treated as both an employment and participation issue, requiring coordinated investment similar to university and vocational pathways
Participants then moved into a workshop identifying barriers, innovations and then designing the “ideal licensing system”, then voting on quick wins and a bold long-term solution.

The group reflected on a need for combined and effective advocacy. Several organisations working on similar things connected and will work together now!

Everyone who attended filled out a survey with their interest and potential contributions for a follow up project – keep your eyes on this road!

Question 8

Meet the Youth Advisory Board: Kianni from the Gold Coast

Accepted Answer

What was your first ever job?
I worked as a waitress at an Italian cafe.
How did you go from there to here?
Saying yes to every opportunity and putting myself out there. Plus giving everything a go to see whether it sparks interest.
What&#8217;s a tip for someone trying to do what you&#8217;re doing?
Put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to be the first person to make the connection.
What do you want to learn next?
I want to learn how to effectively advocate for young people and how I can make my voice and ideas heard and put into action.
																														
Our Youth Advisory Board brings together young people who are invested in their local community and care about improving opportunities for young people from the eight communities in which Community Investment Committees operate. YAB members provide strategic guidance on how the NYEB can work towards its mission, advice on opportunities to strengthen youth voice across the NYEB and on advocacy and policy change.

Question 9

Geraldton Compass Launch: A Collaborative Co‑Design Journey

Accepted Answer

Through the Compass project, they have gathered a very engaged group of people including representatives from DEWR and state government, a local employer, headspace, TAFE, and employment services.
The Compass tool covers the Mid-west region of Western Australia.
The region faces challenges that are specific to that distance. For example:
&#8211; Young people often have very disjointed educational experiences due to the prevalence of FIFO workers being on 5-week contracts. This is more acute in more rural communities than in Geraldton, but the Compass covers a huge area with about 45 tiny schools scattered across the Mid-West (that is also maybe something to note &#8211; this Compass covers a HUGE regional scope that others don&#8217;t).
&#8211; Young people face significant barriers to education post-school, in both university and VET contexts. There are no university campuses in the area (thought there is a &#8216;uni hub&#8217; with facilities so people can get a qualification remotely and stay in their community) and local training organisations often struggle to fill lecturer/trainer roles meaning many courses are unavailable.
Phase 5 will focus on contextualising the data with more local insights.
Explore the Geraldton Compass Tool here.

Question 10

Postcard from Logan: Queensland, the 'Youth Shine' state

Accepted Answer

The Logan Youth Employment Body (Logan’s Community Investment Committee) was part of organising this event which is all about connecting young people into opportunities and services, while celebrating them &#8211; taking the focus off Youth Crime and instead focussing on how our Youth Shine.
“There are so many great things about this event: The collaboration of community services from across Logan that we have young people involved throughout the day, that this is a free event for the community offering giveaways, entertainment, food and activities for the community focussing on educating those that attend on the services that are available across Logan for Young People in a relaxed and welcoming environment” says Cherie Massey, who coordinates the Logan Youth Employment Body.
Youth involvement in the lead up to the day is evolving too. Prior to the 2025 event, the organisations who make up the committee surveyed young people that they support to see what they would like from an event. The results helped to form Logan Youth Shine as it is now.
This year, a young person was involved in the design of the ‘passports’ that encourage engagement with stallholders as well as the grant application for Queensland Government Youth Week Funding &#8211; building their own skills and work experience and well as making sure the organisers get it right for young people attending on the day. 
So how did ‘youth shine’ on the day?
The event included a chillout zone and sensory activities including slime and sand play, as well as free facepainting, a Hula Hoop competition, a Free Barber, hair braiding and henna painting.
Yourtown hosted a ‘how to dress for an interview’ activity and The Street University interviewed young people on the day for one of their podcast episodes, making it clear to the young people there that their voices mattered.
Another highlight was an art workshop decorating skateboard decks, led by yourtown’s  Indigenous Mentor. “The skateboards have a beautiful story to them. The artwork in the middle represents the community meeting in one spot and all coming together. The ‘dots’ are fingerprints made by attendees on the day and represent the people coming into the circle to meet, all with different journeys and stories.”
All entertainment on the day was led by young people, including those who live with disability. This included local dance groups, DJ Trent from BEST Disability, a Talent Show and a young person to MC on the day.

How did so many youth services in Logan come to be working together on this event?
“In 2024 there were so many things happening across Queensland Youth Week that clashed with other events, but all with the same purpose. The first year there was an organisation who had funding that went unused, a community group who had to cancel events and others that had lower attendance due to events being held at the same time and people having to choose what to attend”. So Cherie suggested the pool their resources into one big event.
“By combining the event it meant that we were able to bring everyone together in one space, utilise funds and share the organising of the event &#8211; many hands make light work. It also meant that we were able to bring multiple organisations who work across Logan together in one place at one time.”
A name was chosen: Logan Youth Shine, to focus more on the great things our young people do and less on youth crime. They have now successfully run the ‘Logan Youth Shine’ event during Queensland Youth Week for two years.

Question 11

Hume Compass Launch: A collaborative co‑design journey in Melbourne's outer north

Accepted Answer

Overlooking a major arterial road and Broadmeadows Station on the Craigieburn line, the venue sits in the centre of Hume—one of Victoria’s fastest‑growing and most culturally diverse municipalities. In Hume, transport, mobility and access are ever‑present factors shaping young people’s pathways into education, training and employment.
Located in Melbourne’s outer north, Hume is home to a large number of young people, many from migrant and refugee backgrounds, and includes communities experiencing systemic inequities, alongside rapid population growth and redevelopment.
As one of the foundational CICs—now celebrating its 10th year—the group has long recognised the importance of quality local data.
The Compass presented an opportunity to bring together local demographic and labour market data into a single, accessible platform. More importantly, it provided an opportunity to talk about when and how we use data and what data we don’t have.
Committee members reflected on what they&#8217;d learnt through the co-design process, as well as the experience itself:

Strong engagement and enthusiasm across the entire CIC, with everyone choosing to participate rather than forming a smaller working group.

Rich conversations about data, including shared definitions, understanding gaps, and exploring how data can validate lived experience and frontline insights.

The value of local expertise, which will play a critical role in the next phase through the Compass’ Local Knowledge component.

Compass Demonstration
Everyone sat with a laptop ready to explore the new tool as Sarah from BSL’s Employment, Education and Training team led a walkthrough of the Compass’s features, including:

Demographic, education and labour market data sourced from publicly available datasets.
Interactive visualisations across SA2 and SA3 regions, with filters by location, gender and other key indicators.
The ability to explore themes such as transport, school attainment, VET completions and industry trends for young people.

Participants were invited to test the tool on their own devices, with support available during the session.

Looking Ahead
Following the launch, the Hume CIC will enter Phase 4 of the Compass Project: embedding the tool into local work. This phase will focus on integrating local knowledge to deepen and contextualise the quantitative data. This will support more informed decision making as the CIC continues to shape its priorities and advocate for young people in Hume.
Questions raised during the session—including data gaps around migrant and refugee backgrounds, and mental health and disability of people within data sets, as well as data from higher education providers—will help inform future Compass enhancements and guide broader advocacy to improve data availability at local levels. The lack of data pertaining to migrant and refugee communities is a major focus for Hume. Identifying this gap shows that data without contextualisation can misrepresent communities and illustrates the need for local collaboration to contextualise the data.
																														
Explore the Hume Compass here.

Question 12

Young people lead Youth Matters Fest in Gold Coast

Accepted Answer

Young people were central to the design process.
Kianni and Eden, the NYEB’s Youth Advisory Board member from Logan, designed the marketing materials, including the event Passport and QR codes. Additionally, young people from Transition to Work (TtW) helped develop the survey questions to ensure we captured meaningful feedback for future festivals.
The event opened with a powerful Acknowledgement of Country by Sophia, a young First Nations person from the Gold Coast Youth Service, who spoke and sang alongside Dave on the yidaki.
What young people want – and need – was catered for with plenty of pizza, fruit and water, and a quieter breakout space to recharge and connect.
Hands-on career experiences included:

🚑 Ambulance Queensland CPR lessons
🔧 Trade tasters: plastering, soldering, carpentry
🚌 A full-sized bus for a sneak peek into Transport careers
🥽 VR welding simulations
💅 A nail technician giving demonstrations
🍔 Hungry Jacks burger-wrapping competition
A game board supplied by the City of Gold Coast.

And the highlight? Stall Bingo!Designed to spark real conversations with exhibitors, this device to encourage attendees to visit as many stalls as possible worked brilliantly — with young people engaging with the stalls for their shot at the $200 prize.
 Building Exhibitor Capability
The event hosted a wide range of exhibitors across industries including construction, hospitality, trades, and healthcare.
To prepare the 32 exhibitors, the CIC held a briefing the week prior to ensure they understood how to best engage with young people, including those who may have had previous negative experiences with education or training systems. The briefing was aimed at addressing negative stereotypes of young people and encouraging employers to be proactive in engaging attendees.
Promotion
The event was promoted through the Gold Coast Youth Employment Body’s network, TtW providers, Link’n Launch officers, and Youth Support Coordinators. They specifically engaged Special Assistance Schools, such as MOB Academy, Arcadia, and BUSY Schools, rather than general schools, to reach those who would benefit most from these connections.

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