THE YAC EFFECT

IntroductionOur desire is to create one YAC for all youth that embraces

indigenous, disabilities and multicultural representations, making a stronger YAC

through diversity of its membership. A single Youth Advisory Council Committee (YAC) will improve

coordination and collaboration in creating events and community

change. It will provide a single voice to be listened to by Council

rather than disparate groupings of youth representation. This

new YAC will be more effective in getting things done for all

youth in the Bunbury Geographe Region. Part of creating this

new YAC is the desire to make YAC an all-inclusive group with a

sense of responsibility and belonging.

Creating a formal selection process, YAC will establish a position

description (PD) outlining: the types of activities members are

expected to carry out; the experience they are looking for from

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potential members; the types of qualifications that would allow

YAC members to be well regarded in the broader context of the

community; level of commitment required in terms of time (based

upon best estimates from past experiences); and what members

gain from being a part of YAC. This information would need to be

part of a formal application and recruitment package.

YAC will coordinate its own budget, giving more say over what they

do, also giving them a voice and ability to deliver to the community

what the youth have asked for. It is recognised that YAC have a

desire for a true sense of empowerment within this group of young

people and a desire to make a difference for the community.

By engaging the community initially in successful small projects,

YAC will establish respect within the community, with the aim

of gaining support when taking on larger projects. The successful

completion of smaller projects in the community sends a clear

signal that YAC is an effective group looking to establishing

and developing community engagement and ultimately

community change.

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YAC Vision

To develop and create an inclusive multicultural community which

embraces youth and families to live and grow.

YAC Mission

Through listening and building relationships in the community

and to lead and connect young people so they can be empowered

to use their voice to contribute to the growth of the Bunbury

Geographe Region.

Strategic DirectionThis strategy will provide the City of Bunbury and the youth

with a clear direction to build on its foundation of success

and achievements.

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The YAC Terms of Reference

1. To identify and advise on youth trends, gaps and opportunities

in the Bunbury area.

2. To advise Council on the development of policies that is

responsive to the needs of youth.

3. To engage with the young people of the Bunbury area to draw

consultation and feedback on youth trends, opportunities and

gaps to present to Council.

4. To assist and be actively involved in the ongoing development

and delivery of youth-targeted projects, programs and events.

(Annually: Australia Day and National Youth Week).

5. To engage with the wider youth community to create/look

for partnerships and opportunities to support young people

in the areas of up-skilling, youth leadership and the active

involvement for youth driven initiatives.

Become a YAC member not only for your own personal

growth

but for the betterment of young people and the community!

Becoming a leader influencing othersinspiring others being an examplerespecting others champion for othersknow who you are leading listening making a positive impact

Becoming a YAC member means:

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GOAL 1Two-Year Plan

Develop a 24-month plan that has targets that YAC can achieve.

These targets should be a mix of easy, medium and stretch targets,

such as:

1. Easy (the knowledge and resources already exist to achieve

these targets and all you have to do is make a decision to do it).

E.g. design t-shirts, flyers, posters.

2. Medium (the knowledge and resources already exist to achieve

these targets but these targets have been on the books for some

time without being achieved. Cooperation is required around a

decision to do these things). E.g. Develop a ‘position description’

for YAC membership and a formal selection process.

3. Stretch (most of the knowledge and resources to achieve

these targets exist outside of YAC and to achieve them requires

a higher level of organisation, cooperation, collaboration

and relationship building beyond YAC membership).

E.g. Community events.

GoalsThis strategy will provide the City of Bunbury and the youth

with a clear direction to build on its foundation of success

and achievements.

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Developing these targets will require

to workshop and brainstorm and

also seek feedback from youth and

the wider community about what

they want. Each target will be given a

deadline for completion as well as a

review date half-way to the deadline,

describing at the outset what should

be achieved by the half-way point so

that YAC know they are on track to

completion by the deadline.

The half-way review will identify

what extra resources are required

to ensure delivery of the target

on time.

GOAL 2Communications

Use the YAC Vision and Mission to frame all messages that YAC send

out, including events. Keep bringing the community back to why

YAC exist and how YAC is doing it. This will build credibility for YAC

as the community will come to know YAC as a body with integrity

in what they say and do. Consistent messages are important when

building a brand and YAC wants to become a brand to attract

corporate funding/sponsorship, and to exist beyond the lifespan of

current membership of individuals.

Develop event specific communication strategies before developing

the message for all youth events and programs. This will ensure that

the resources for getting the message out there are in place and

can be maintained up to and including any event delivery – use the

marketing department of the City of Bunbury to help.

Develop feedback strategies as part of the above for every event.

Be able to get feedback on the day of events. Do not rely on

people using the internet after the event to give feedback about

the event.

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GOAL 3Social Media

Do what young people do best - create social media content and

then put it up there straight away at every opportunity. Find a balance

of positive and negative content as social media relies on a level of

honesty in order to engage with users. Everybody fails sometimes

and being honest about failings builds trust and credibility with

an audience.

GOAL 4 Finances

Decide on who is best placed to build key relationships within the

community. Pick the best person for each task; this may not always

be the older members. Members with charisma and charm and who

can establish trust quickly with others should be encouraged and

where necessary, up-skilled and supported. People do ‘business’

with people they like and this should never be overlooked when

thinking about establishing relationships within the community.

GOAL 5Building Relationships

Develop strategies for obtaining information from youth and the

rest of the community. Use what already exists as a starting point;

anecdotal information (the word on the street) is a great source.

Survey youth to find out what they want and remember that youth

don’t traditionally respond to surveys. Always be asking the question

‘how would I want to be engaged on this topic?’ to increase the

likelihood of getting responses.

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yac@bunbury.wa.gov.au

Ph: 9792 7000

@bunburyyouth