As National Youth Week has kicked off around Tasmania, the state government has expressed its support for the week in lieu of a federal commitment to fund it into the future.
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The week has formerly been a collaboration between federal and state governments, but Youth Network of Tasmania chief executive Joanna Siejka said the federal government has not made it a priority into the future.
“I’ve been asking about it for some time, I noticed there was no forward funding around 2013 … we have seen a very clear message federally that youth issues are not a priority at a federal level,” Ms Siejka said.
Ms Siejka said if an ongoing commitment is not secured from the state government to fund NYW this will be the last time it is run.
A Tasmanian government spokesman said the government is an “enthusiastic supporter” of National Youth Week.
“Our future commitment towards National Youth Week has not changed,” he said.
Ms Siejka said the week is a chance for young people to raise the issues that matter to them and is an important way to keep young people in the state.
“What we want as Tasmania and what the government wants to achieve … is to keep young people here and the way you keep them here is to keep them engaged in the community, you want to keep them in education,” she said.
“The way you do those things is by listening to them, by supporting them, by having events and programs for them and the less you do that the less connection they have to their space and the less likely they are to want to stay around.”
A range of National Youth Week events have kicked off around Tasmania and highlight the role young people play in the community.
“It’s really this one time in the year when it’s a really positive opportunity to look at the contributions that young people make, it's about celebrating what they have to say, what they do what they think, their ideas their initiatives but it’s led by them so were looking to them to show us,” Ms Siejka said
YNOT board member and 23-year-old Griffin Blizzard said it is a chance to get youth issues on the table.
“I think it brings to the front of peoples mind youth-related issues and it’s a great way for us to advocate for young peoples issues and bring it to people's attention,” he said.
“It’s also an excellent opportunity to showcase what young people are capable of.”