The Plan outlines the important first steps the McGowan Government has taken in supporting young people through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Plan also provides an important foundation and future road map to assist WA youth on the road to recovery and beyond, with the next phase of engagement and planning to focus on the systematic changes required to ensure young people in WA are able to continue to thrive and reach their potential.
Young people account for almost 20 per cent of WA’s population, with 21 per cent living in regional WA. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people account for 6 per cent of the population, while an estimated 11 per cent identify as LGBTIQA+ and 2 per cent of Western Australian young people have a disability.
The COVID-19 Youth Recovery Grants program provides funding to local governments and community service organisations to implement projects that engage young people (aged 10-25 years) in creative ways and help to achieve positive outcomes for young people in the community.
The program will focus on projects that support young people during the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and particularly projects that support, inform, and build capacity of young people in gaining and retaining employment opportunities and mental health.
The COVID-19 Youth Recovery Grants program will also focus on applications that support or prioritise one or more of the priorities of the WA Youth Action Plan and that of YACWA’s ‘A Framework for Youth People’s Recovery from COVID-19 in Western Australia’.
Grants of up to $5,000 are available for short-term, one-off activities or initiatives while grants of up to $10,000 are available for community-wide strategic projects that run between six to 12 months.
The closing date for grant nominations is 4pm on 18 March 2021. For more information about the Youth Action Plan and the COVID-19 Youth Recovery Grants visit
https://www.communities.wa.gov.au/youthactionplan
As stated by Youth Minister Dave Kelly:
“2020 was an incredibly hard year for young people across the world, with the COVID-19 pandemic having major impacts in health, education, training and employment.
“However, despite all the challenges, I’m in awe of how young Western Australians and service providers have stepped up, letting us know exactly how they’ve been affected as well as contributing to solutions for the future.
“The McGowan Government is acutely aware that charting a confident path for young people involves meaningful employment opportunities and supporting positive mental health.
“The WA Youth Action Plan provides a roadmap for how young people can be assisted in targeted ways – with the COVID-19 Youth Recovery Grants program also providing an opportunity for young people to be engaged in creative and positive initiatives beyond 2020.
“Now more than ever, young people need to feel they are being heard and that their voices are making an impact. These initiatives will go a long way to addressing their concerns.”
