Young people on the margins: What works in youth participation

Current Australian public policy has a strong focus on youth and young people. In particular, the policy discourse and the initiatives that are emerging in support of this discourse advocate young people’s active participation in their communities. Drawing on a PhD study being undertaken with the Australian Youth Research Centre, this paper considers the nature of this policy discourse and its implications for young people’s participation. It also describes the findings of a recent report released by The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA), which shed light on the way in which this policy agenda is being enacted by young people.