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Introduction to YACVic
Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic) is the peak body and leading policy advocate for young people and the youth sector in Victoria.
Our vision is that the rights of young people in Victoria are respected, and they are active, visible and valued in their communities. Our mission is to propel action that inspires positive change for young people and the youth sector. To do this we:
- Elevate voices of young people and the youth sector to institutions of power
- Promote solutions by identifying and recommending policy and advocacy ideas on issues that affect young people
- Build capacity through resourcing and promoting high-quality youth work, participation and leadership
- Nurture connections by convening groups and enabling platforms for co-ordination, support and collaboration
- Advance thinking by partnering on research and consultations on emerging issues for young people
YACVic is an independent, for-purpose organisation with core funding from the Victorian Government’s Office for Youth. We pursue social justice by maintaining a focus on those young people in our community who face disadvantage or marginalisation.
YACVic’s work is guided by our strategic plan, our Constitution and the Code of Ethical Practice for the Victorian Youth Sector. This means that the recognition of young people's human rights underpin everything we do. We promote active participation of young people in all aspects of decision making and community life, as well as directly within our organisation through our youth participation model.
We provide additional targeted advocacy and services through our key services, YACVic Rural and the Youth Disability Advocacy Service.
YACVic Rural
Young people and youth professionals in rural and regional Victoria often have unique insights and face different challenges to those in metropolitan Melbourne. In response, YACVic Rural expands our state-wide advocacy for young people in regional communities and the rural youth sector. We focus our presence across the Great South Coast and Southern Mallee regions.
We hope to continue expanding our state-wide services to get the best outcomes for young people throughout rural and regional Victoria.
Find out all about YACVic Rural.
Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS)
YDAS is Victoria’s only advocacy service that works directly with young people with disability to achieve their human rights. Young people aged 12–25 with disability can access our free individual advocacy service if they need advice or help.
YDAS also does ongoing systemic advocacy work to improve policy around issues that are important to young people with disability.
Our vision and mission
Our vision is that the rights of young people in Victoria are respected, and they are active, visible and valued in their communities.
Our mission is to propel action that inspires positive change for young people and the youth sector.
YACVic pursues social justice by maintaining a focus on those in the community who face disadvantage or marginalisation. We seek to collaborate with young people, the youth sector, our members and our partner agencies to get the best results for young people.
Our partners
YACVic works in close partnership with the Koorie Youth Council (KYC) to help each other to be effective in our work as youth sector peak bodies.
YRIPP
The Youth Referral and Independent Person Program (YRIPP) trains and supports people working as Independent Persons across Victoria.
YRIPP provides up to date training, a state wide IP roster, resources for police and parents and access to a 24–hour legal advice line for young people in custody.
YRIPP is a unique partnership between community agencies and the Victoria Police. It is funded by the State Government and is a partnership of the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY), Youth Affairs Council Victoria, Uniting Care and other agencies.
Annual reports
Download our 2023-24 annual report. Download our full 2023-24 financial report as a PDF.
Download our 2022-23 annual report. Download our full 2022-23 financial report as a PDF.
Download our 2021-22 annual report as a PDF. Download our 2021-22 annual report as a Word Document. Download our full 2021-22 financial report as a PDF.
Download our 2020-21 annual report as a PDF. Download the accessible 2020-21 annual report as a Word Document. Download our full 2020-21 financial report as a PDF.
Download our 2019-20 annual report as a PDF, the accessible 2019-20 annual report as a Word Document, and the full 2019-20 financial report as a PDF.
Download our 2018–19 annual report.
Download our 2017–18 annual report.
Download our 2016–17 annual report.
Download our 2015–16 annual report.
Get in touch if you'd like to find out more about our annual reports or be sent one from previous years.
Our advocacy
If you'd like to find out more about our advocacy, or if you're looking for a specific piece of policy or advocacy and are having trouble finding it, please get in touch with our policy manager.
Our communications
You can sign up to Announce, our fortnightly newsletter reaching over 3,500 subscribers and packed with the latest youth sector news.
If you’d like to contribute something of relevance to Announce, please email communications@yacvic.org.au a text-only document of less than 80 words, with links or contact details for further information, and 'Announce' in the subject line.
You can also sign up to Signposts, YACVic Rural’s newsletter. It’s a great way to get updates on what’s going on in rural and regional locations around Victoria, as well as our focus regions, the Great South Coast and Southern Mallee.
If you have a great project or event you’re working on in a rural community and would like to see it promoted in Signposts, please email communications@yacvic.org.au a text-only document of less than 80 words, with links or contact details for further information, and ‘Signposts’ in the subject line.
Our commitment to accessibility
Our website complies with the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, and has undergone user-testing in collaboration with our development partners and the Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS) to ensure it is fully accessible for people living with disability. Please get in touch if you feel you could help us strengthen this ongoing commitment to web accessibility.
Our statement of consent
All young people featured in photographs on our website have worked closely with YACVic in the past. In accordance with our Code of Ethical Practice and Child Safe Standards, we have full consent from young people and their guardians (where necessary) to use the imagery for these special purposes. We thank them for their valuable contribution to our communications.
We acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government.
