So, for the time being, this blog is on hiatus. Goodbye for now!

Sprout provides innovative young people (ages 16-30) across the world with mechanism to learn, grow and connect with like-minded leaders in a supportive online environment. Structured over eight weeks, with an orientation at the beginning and a month of independent study at the end to produce a final project, Sprout will teach skills such as:

• Community consultation
• Stakeholder analysis
• Pitching
• Project sustainability planning
• Budgeting
• Volunteer recruitment

Throughout the course, Sprout will also pair participants with experienced e-mentors of all ages who provide inter-generational support, encouragement and insight.

For further information and to apply online, see http://www.sproutecourse.org/.

Applications close 27 September, 2009.

They remark: ‘Each year since 1999 the United Nations Youth Association and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has (sic) chosen one young Australian to be the Youth Representative in Australia’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.’ (Though this isn’t strictly true, as in 2008 there were two representatives.)

The Australian Youth Representative is responsible for representing the views and interests of Australian young people to the United Nations. They are tasked with consulting with young Australians before traveling to New York during the General Assembly’s session to work with the Australian Mission and other nations’ youth representatives to advance youth issues at the UN.

Expressions of interest (the first step in a three-phase process with long-form applications and interviews to follow) are being solicited from young Australians aged 15-24 with ‘a strong knowledge of the United Nations and of international affairs, as well as displaying a strong involvement in youth affairs’.

For further information and to apply online, see http://www.unya.org.au/youthrep/.

Expressions of interest close 2 November, 2009.

As an additional note: it seems that many of the problems noted three years ago persist. Despite having the responsibility of determining the successful applicant, UNYA provide scant support in terms of developing or overseeing multi-year fundraising, consulting, media or other strategic planning, instead leaving it up to each Representative to develop their own each year. (For example, UNYA notes: ‘It must be noted that although assistance is offered by UNYA, the prerogative will be firmly placed upon the Youth Representative to be able to meet the financial demands of the position.’) You’d think that after 11 years of managing the role UNYA would have built some institutional support for it.

In fact, despite listing those that have held the position since its inception, UNYA have not even provided links to their final reports (effectively preventing others from suggesting ways that institutional support could be built.) Perhaps that’s because, way back in 2001, Kirsten Hagon recommended that responsibility for selecting the Representative be taken from UNYA and given to an organisation who might be better placed to offer broader support and oversight: the national youth affairs peak. And as we know, we once again have one of them.

Update (18 Sep 2009): I’ve had some inquiries from UNYA members, and I think it would be worthwhile clarifying my comments: Obviously, I think there is real value in having a youth representative position, which provides not only the opportunity for young Australians to have their concerns and aspirations voiced at the UN, but also a unique and extraordinary personal experience for the representative. Naturally, UNYA deserves credit for establishing the position and working with DFAT to ensure its continuation.

But such an exceptional opportunity should be utilised to its fullest. Over 11 years of management, one could reasonably expect that UNYA would at least be able to offer administrative and institutional support and planning. I’ve been asked to provide specific ideas, so here are a few:

• A yearly project plan detailing the scope of responsibilities, project phases (including consultation, time in New York, reporting and evaluation, and handover), key performance indicators, activities and deliverables, and a multi-year developmental plan for the position.
• A Memorandum of Understanding with DFAT and DEEWR outlining a multi-year commitment to providing certain administrative support both domestically and in New York, in order to facilitate longer-term planning and development of the position.
• A stakeholder engagement plan outlining key relationships with state and national youth affairs peaks, national and international youth organisations, and UN youth agencies, as well as those organisations responsible for managing the youth representative position in other nations.
• Established relationships with a number of key youth organisations that could provide timely advice and research on issues arising from work in the UN General Assembly’s 3rd Committee.
• A fundraising plan, with multi-year fundraising agreements already in place, which would allow the representative to dedicate their time to the more important task of consulting with young Australians and developing plans for their time in New York.
• A database of funding organisations and successful fundraising applications that could be used as a basis for further applications.
• A media and communications plan, outlining common key messages, strategies and deliverables, a database of key media outlets, and a system for developing and disseminating media releases.
• A pro-forma website / blog and social media strategy which would allow the youth representative to communicate directly with young Australians, and relieve the representative from having to develop these individually each year.
• A library of reference material consisting of previous reports from youth representatives, key UN youth declarations and documents, and guides to help the representative understand the UN system and its complex decision-making process.

The idea is that, whilst each representative should be able to bring their own personal plans and ideas to the table, the basic infrastructure of the position and its multi-year development should be established and ready to go. At 11 years, the position should be organisationally mature – instead it’s still grappling each year with pretty basic challenges. Whilst some of these mechanisms are in place, conversations with previous youth representatives confirm that support of this nature has been variable and mostly disappointing.

In short: the position, its utility to young Australians, and UNYA’s involvement in maintaining its existence is to be commended. But UNYA should also be open to people – especially young Australians who the position is supposed to represent – casting a critical eye over its management, given that it has maintained responsibility for it, unchallenged, for over a decade.

Update (23 Sep 2009): Naturally, as always, these opinions are my own. As far as I know, the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition has not had any discussions around the youth representative position, and has never expressed a desire to participate in the selection and management of the position.

Domestically, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and World Vision Australia are running a similar campaign called Youth Decide, which calls for young Australians aged 15-29 to vote on climate change plans.

Whilst early plans called for the amalgamation of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the UN Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), and the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI), the new resolution, adopted 14 September, also rolls the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) into the new agency, which will be led by an Under-Secretary-General who would report directly to the Secretary-General.

The resolution also requests Secretary-General Ban to provide Member States with a comprehensive proposal outlining the mission statement, structure, funding and oversight of the new entity so that it can be created as soon as possible.

NGOs are calling for the entity to be operational by the time of the Beijing +15 Review at the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2010.

For further information, see http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/ga10854.doc.htm, http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article1598, and http://www.ipsterraviva.net/Europe/article.aspx?id=7811.

• help our young people grow up safe, happy and resililient (sic)?
• give young people the skills they need to learn, work and fully engage in community life
• reduce the physical and mental health risks facing young Australians, including negative body image, anxiety and depression, obesity and alcohol-fuelled violence?
• enable young people to accept responsibility for their actions and their behaviours?
• help young people to negotiate the challenges of today’s society?

So far, very little detail has been released regarding the scope or development process of the announced National Strategy for Young Australians. Many youth organisations, including the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition, the national youth affairs peak, have been taken by surprise by the announcement.

The PM’s new Youth Blog can be found at http://www.pm.gov.au/PM_Connect/PMs_Blog/Youth_Blog.

Update (14 Sep 2009): Apparently, the Youth Blog will only run for two weeks, until 25 September 2009.

Update (15 Sep 2009): Bella Counihan delivers a damning assessment of the new youth blog over at The Age’s National Times: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/why-rudd-gets-an-f-for-yoof-20090914-fnk8.html, remarking that it is both condescending and elitist.

The Cash for Comments team is a crew of young people (aged 16-25) commissioned to create written and multimedia content on current issues for the ActNow website.

Members of the Cash for Comments team will have the opportunity to:

• Receive face-to-face training in content development (writing, video and photography)
• Pitch ideas and create content for ActNow for a 4 month period
• Have their work published on the ActNow website
• Have their work syndicated in other media
• Get paid for their work.

To apply, send your application to actnow@inspire.org.au. It should consist of:

• A 300 word opinion piece;
• 1-2 minute video; OR
• A photo gallery with 3-5 images and a 100 word story attached

On the topic: “The biggest challenge that Australia faces is….”

Additionally, include a résumé and 200 words about yourself in any style.

For further information, see http://www.actnow.com.au/Action/Get_paid_to_create_content_for_ActNow.aspx.

Applications close Friday 18th September, 2009.

The Residency Program gives groups a desk, meeting space, internet access and printer in a shared office with like-minded people and projects.

The usual cost of $300/month will be covered by a sponsor who will also provide support and advice during the incubation period.

Current residents include:

• The Oaktree Foundation
• Frank Team
• Nomadic Hands
• Creative Political Action Network

Applicants must:

• Be aged 18 – 30
• Devote a minimum 10 hrs/week to develop the projects at the Enterprise Hub, for a minimum of 3 months
• Agree to meet with their sponsor once a month with progress updates
• Demonstrate focus and ability to sustainably develop their projects
• Have an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong passion for their project

For further information, see http://vibewire.org/residency-program/. To apply online, see http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDU3aUZ6ODFhTWhyQmViUnJTeE1ZOXc6MA.

Applications close Wednesday, 23 September, 2009.