Today marks the start of Youth Week in the ACT, an opportunity to celebrate and highlight the positive contributions that young Canberrans make to lives of their peers and the broader ACT community.
Minister for Youth Affairs Yvette Berry said, “Today, I would like to thank all Young Canberrans and acknowledge the many diverse ways you are shaping our city. Your voices and perspectives are key to not only addressing the issues that affect you and your peers, but also those that matter to the broader Canberra community such as the current cost of living crisis. I encourage you to get involved in one of the many events across our region during Youth Week and reflect on the role you can continue to shape a bright future for our great city.”
The ACT Government is proud to support a number of diverse accessible and free events for young people to attend and come together during Youth Week including:
- Sunset festival with free food and entertainment
- Free mindfulness event at the National Gallery of Australia
- Youth Ping Pong tournament
- Free screenings of the super Mario Bros Movie in Belconnen and Tuggeranong
A full list of events can be found at www.act.gov.au/youthweek.
Minister Berry added, “Youth Week is also an important time to celebrate the innovative ways young people are making a difference to the lives of their peers in the ACT. I am proud the ACT Government is financially supporting young people in this area through our grants program.”
Recent Youth InterACT grant recipient Katie Jakab used funding to create Mental Health Crisis-line Cards for young people to access crisis phone line numbers in the event that they, or a friend, needs support. Katie said the cards arose “from my awareness that youth are some of the most affected by poor mental health and mental illness in Australia, and from my own experiences as a young person who has gone through, and supported friends with, mental illness.”
“They are small enough to fit in a phone-case or wallet, creating a convenient means to access these numbers, encouraging young people to use them in moments of crisis where the simple act of finding these numbers online may be a big enough barrier to prevent their use. It’s a simple solution that I hope will have a big impact.
