Real connection matters. In this world of chatbots, AI and doom scrolling, the shire’s youth have told the United Nations that human-to-human relationships are where it’s at.
Australia’s 2026 UN Youth Representative Janice Rodrigues recently met with Eurobodalla’s Youth Committee as part of her national listening tour, participating in a workshop that tackled some of the big issues facing young people today – technology, mental health, community and opportunity.
Ms Rodrigues said many of the themes she heard were familiar from similar workshops across the country.
“Young people are navigating enormous change – from cost-of-living pressures and housing affordability to AI and social media,” Ms Rodrigues said.
“What stands out is, that despite all this change, young people consistently want the same thing: to feel connected, heard and able to shape the communities they live in.”
Social media and AI featured in the discussions. Far from being overwhelmed by technology the group wrestled with its opportunities and risks, and issues of privacy, misinformation and the challenge of genuine connection in a digital world.
However, Eurobodalla Council’s coordinator of youth development Rhonnie South points out that while AI featured in the workshop, the strongest message wasn’t about technology at all.
“It’s people. Our youth committee members were talking about belonging, friendship, loneliness, safe community spaces, better public transport, better mental health and real-life relationships,” Ms South said.
“And they weren’t simply identifying problems. They were proposing solutions like practical life-skills classes at school, accessible pathways to and through TAFE and higher education, more and flexible transport options, and ways to develop support networks.”
Now their ideas are headed to the United Nations General Assembly, along with contributions from almost 5,000 other young Australians who have contributed to Ms Munday’s consultation process. Her formal report will be presented in New York, with the consultation process Australia’s biggest youth-led listening project.
The workshop sparked more than discussion, with several participants returning to school determined to learn more about the UN Youth program and other youth-advocacy initiatives like Youth Parliament. Ms South said that outcomes like that made the visit all the more rewarding.
“When young people meet someone just that bit older and taking local concerns to the national and international stage, it helps them see what’s possible. They see the value in their own voice, they can have a say on the world they are inheriting, and that leadership doesn’t just happen somewhere else,” she said.
“In fact, it starts in rooms like this.”
