Keep up with your Youth Representatives!

Find out where your Youth Representatives have been and what the youth of Australia have been saying on their Youth Rep blogs! Click here for Elizabeth's blog and here for Melanie's blog, and drop them a line with your comments.

Welcome from the new Youth Representatives - Elizabeth Shaw and Melanie Poole

We're incredibly excited to be representing Australia at the United Nations in 2008, and want to make sure that we're representing the voices of all young people across the country. Please feel free to post us comments on this site or send us an email to youthrep08@unya.asn.au and let us know what the key issues are that you would like to see elevated at a national and international level.

What is a Youth Representative?

The United Nations defines youth as those aged between 15 ? 24. The Australian Youth Representatives to the United Nations are responsible for ensuring the voices of Australian youth are heard on both a domestic and international level.

The Youth Representative position was created in 1999, when the United Nations Youth Association of Australia (UNYA) presented a proposal detailing the need for a Youth Representative to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). This proposal was based on many General Assembly resolutions calling for youth representation at the highest level of decision-making.

This year for the first time, there are two Australian Youth Reps, and We're looking forward to working harder than ever bring youth issues to the fore.

The position is made available by the DFAT and administered by UNYA. For more information about the position, please visit www.unya.asn.au/youthrep.

How are WE going to represent YOU?

We're embarking on a five month consultation tour of Australia, and We're going to go to all states and territories to meet with a huge diversity of Australian young people to reflect the multiplicity of views in our beautiful country. We're not just going to capital cities ? We're going to rural and regional Australia, to Indigenous communities, to big towns and small. If you?re keen for us to come and meet with your youth organisation or speak to your school, please send us an email and we?ll do the best we can.

Following our consultation tour, we?ll be heading to the United Nations in New York, where we?ll spend 8 weeks working as fully accredited members of the Australian Delegation to the UN General Assembly. By working within the Australian Mission, the UN, and amongst other Youth Representatives, we will use the mandate given to us by you, and take every opportunity we have to push the agenda you?ve given us. During our time at the UN, we will address the General Assembly on behalf of Australia.

This would not be possible without ?

The Youth Representatives are not paid, and need to fundraise the costs of their consultation tour around Australia and many of the expenses associated with attending work in the United Nations.

The incredibly important work of the Youth Representatives would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors, UNYA, DFAT, and our family and friends.