ARACY

Young and Wise: Your Voice, Your Future Are you under 25 and passionate about making real change in your community? We want YOU to join ARACY's Young and Wise, a group of young Australians driving change and shaping the future! By becoming part of this dynamic group, you’ll have the chance to share your insights, influence key decisions, and be a voice for youth-led solutions in areas like mental health, education, and social justice. Your perspectives will help shape policies that impact your generation, working alongside governments and decision makers. Want to be part of something bigger? Sign up now and let your voice be heard. https://hubs.la/Q02_T7HL0 #YoungAndWise #YouthAdvocacy #YouthVoices #YouthLeadership #YouthEmpowerment #SocialChange #YouthVoicesMatter Please share this opportunity with your networks. National Youth Commission Australia | Australian Youth Affairs Coalition | Youth Action NSW | Young Australians in International Affairs (YAIA) | Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia (YACWA) | headspace | ACOSS Australian Council of Social Service | Anne Hollonds | Office of the Advocate for Children and Young People (ACYP) | Youth Advocacy Centre (YAC) | Life Without Barriers | Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network | Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia (YACWA) | Youth Affairs Council Victoria | Natalie Lewis | Luke Twyford | Zoë Robinson | Liana Buchanan | Meena Singh | Jodie Griffiths-Cook | Amalia Fawcett | Jacqueline M. | Linda Savage | April Lawrie | Shona Reid | Helen Connolly | Leanne McLean | Julie Inman - Grant |

Get ready for the launch of Young and Wise! "Youth should have a voice in politics at all levels of government." – Young and Wise group participant ARACY is thrilled to introduce Young and Wise, a groundbreaking report amplifying the voices of over 10,000 children and young people across Australia. What’s inside? ➡ 117 reports spanning 5 years of consultations ➡ Insights gathered through surveys, conversations, videos, artworks, and more ➡ Key themes and recommended actions to help all young Australians thrive ➡ Structured by age and the six wellbeing domains of The Nest, ARACY’s wellbeing framework This is more than a report; it’s a call to action for stakeholders to ensure young Australians have a seat at the table and the opportunity to shape their future. Be part of the movement: ✅ Sign up to our launch waiting list ✅ Under 25? Join our Young and Wise group https://hubs.la/Q030hrmF0 Let’s work together to empower Australia’s youth and create a brighter tomorrow where every child and young person thrives. #YouthVoices

Great to see initiatives like this to support young people as they transition out of child protection with much needed community support. https://lnkd.in/gNVJ4HzG?

Reflecting on a Year of Advocacy with ARACY This year, ARACY has proudly championed the health and wellbeing of children and young people across Australia. From advocating to raise the age of criminal responsibility to addressing child homelessness and food insecurity, we've worked tirelessly to create systems that empower every child to thrive. ✅ Youth Justice Reform: Highlighting prevention and rehabilitation over punitive approaches. ✅ Children's Wellbeing: Promoting equitable access to health care, early education, and safety. ✅ Collaborations: Partnering on transformative initiatives like the Act for Children with Australia's National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds, Future Healthy Countdown 2030 with MCRI and Vic Health and the Australian Children’s Wellbeing Index with UNICEF Australia With a strong focus on equity, place-based approaches, and amplifying the voices of children and young people , we continue striving for a brighter future where everyone thrives. Join us in reflecting on our impact and shaping an even stronger 2025! Our Nest Projects: https://hubs.la/Q03081lt0 Our Advocacy: https://hubs.la/Q0308cty0 News from throughout the year:https://hubs.la/Q0308cwq0 Our webinars: https://hubs.la/Q03081sY0 Our Annual Report: https://hubs.la/Q0307-zP0

🎄 Seasons Greetings from ARACY! 🎄 Wishing you a joyful festive season and a wonderful New Year filled with hope, happiness, and wellbeing. Our office will be closed from Wednesday, 25 December 2024, to Friday, 3 January 2025, to give our team a well-earned break. We’ll be back on Monday, 6 January, ready to continue working towards a better future for all children and young people. Our newsletters will be taking a short break during the Christmas period and will resume on the 24th of January. Thank you for your support throughout the year – we look forward to collaborating with you in 2025! https://hubs.la/Q03081zr0

How climate change is affecting the health of children – real world examples. This article published in The Lancet examines how climate change is impacting health using small islands as a case study. Tangible effects of climate change on health explored in this article include: ☀️ Heatwave exposure, with children experiencing almost fifty times the number of heatwave days in 2023 compared with 20 years earlier. ☀️ Children under the age of 1 year are especially vulnerable to heatwaves, with deaths attributable to heat doubling between 2005 and 2023. ☀️ Impacts on food security and physical activity due to rising temperatures impacting agriculture and activity levels. ☀️ Increased transmission of infectious diseases such as Vibro and dengue (also known as ‘break-bone’ fever) due to effects on water temperature, humidity, and mosquito populations. The article also nods to the massive losses in productivity in labour-intensive sectors such as construction and agriculture arising from hazardous temperatures, with more than 4.4 billion labour hours lost across small islands - equivalent to a 2.1% reduction in GDP. You can read the full article here: https://hubs.la/Q0307Ys50

🎄 Seasons Greetings from ARACY! 🎄 Wishing you a joyful festive season and a wonderful New Year filled with hope, happiness, and wellbeing. Our office will be closed from Wednesday, 25 December 2024, to Friday, 3 January 2025, to give our team a well-earned break. We’ll be back on Monday, 6 January, ready to continue working towards a better future for all children and young people.   Our newsletters will be taking a short break during the Christmas period and will resume on the 24th of January. Thank you for your support throughout the year – we look forward to collaborating with you in 2025! Visit our website: https://www.aracy.org.au/ Subscribe to our newsletters: https://lnkd.in/gqfM-rdU Under 25? Join our Young and Wise group: https://lnkd.in/gZte8uAB

Celebrating the Young Parent Investment and ARACY’s Role in Leading Research Great news for young parents and their children! Today, The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP and South Australian Minister Nat Cook MP announced funding for the Young Parent Project as part of the Government's commitment to tackling entrenched disadvantage. https://lnkd.in/gPp4X2vA This investment focuses on empowering at-risk young mothers under 25 to enhance parenting capacity, improve children's development, and disrupt intergenerational cycles of disadvantage.   At ARACY, we are thrilled to see our 2022 report, "Showing the Light: Supporting Young Parents with Experience of the Care System," https://lnkd.in/gAj-Akbt informing initiatives like this. Our research highlighted key opportunities to support young parents—such as trauma-informed care, holistic parenting programs, and extended support post-care—to break the cycle and build stronger families.   This is a significant step towards ensuring every child and young person in Australia thrives, and we’re proud to have contributed to the evidence base driving these outcomes.   Let’s keep the momentum going to create brighter futures for young parents and their children.   #EveryChildThriving #FutureGenerations #ChildWellbeing #ARACY #InvestmentDialogueForAustraliasChildren Authors: Diana Harris | Barbara Barker | Sarah Brittle Jim Chalmers | Department of Social Services (DSS) | Simon Factor

Did you miss the Act for Children Fouth Roundtable with Australia's National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds, Ursula Kilkelly and Laura Lundy? Great news! The recording of this fascinating webinar is now available! https://lnkd.in/gDgBQw5B In other great news, the Act For Children now has a website! Visit https://lnkd.in/grmfyKkJ to find out all the latest news on the Act for Children campaign.

Great explainer from Georgie Dent CEO of The Parenthood, on how the families that need it most will benefit from the Government's plan to scrap the activity test and provide three days of early childhood education and care for all children if they win the next election. ARACY calls on all political parties to match or improve this commitment.