The ‘State of the Future’ youth forum was held in May 2023, inspired by recommendations made by young people in previous youth-led projects initiated by the Parliament of Victoria.   

Our team members Ella Jacobsen and Jaymee Ellis were invited along, to work with groups of other like-minded young people and make direct presentations to Members of Parliament about issues that matter to them.   

Ella sat on a table that discussed the very important topic of mental health particularly of our young people. She made new connections from other shires and encouraged people to volunteer with our Branch Out Mentors program and spoke about the impact of the Rural Youth Network. “I enjoyed making connections with other rural young people, and I personally have an interest in politics, so I enjoyed learning about how state politics works,’ she said of the event.  

Jaymee worked with a group of young people who were looking at issues from a regional and rural perspective. It was very interesting to hear stories from people across Victoria who had varying experiences. There were two main themes around their discussions which are interesting, and particularly speak to the work of Youthrive.   

Rural young people’s identity is tied to their home. No matter where they end up on their respective journeys, a person who grew up in a rural town will still say ‘I live in Melbourne now, but I’m from Benalla’. This shows that there is a strong need for young rural people to stay connected to their communities, even as they move away from home for work or further education.   

The second was that any issues that arise in regional and rural areas are generally interconnected and quite complex.  The young people in the group decided that any problem-solving catering to rural issues would need to take on a community driven approach with non-linear thinking on ways to address the challenge at different levels.  

“I personally got a lot out of those conversations, including a perspective of people who live in more remote border communities. It was a very collaborative and interesting day!” said Jaymee.