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The opportunity
The Centre of Excellence: Young People and Disasters (Centre) is calling on young people to join its Youth Advisory Group (the Advisory Group) beginning in 2025.
If you’re interested in joining, please submit an Expression of Interest by Tuesday 7 Jan at 5pm. If you have any further questions, please email Jess Standish, Project Coordinator at jstandish@yacvic.org.au.
About the Centre of Excellence - Young People and Disasters
Victoria University’s (VU) Youth and Community Research Group and Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic) are partnering to establish the Centre of Excellence - Young People and Disasters (‘The Centre’).
The Centre champions the inclusion and active involvement of young people to contribute to all aspects of disasters.
We do this by:
- Bringing together expertise around young people (12-24 years), youth participation and disasters.
- Taking a strengths-based approach, recognising the capabilities and contributions of young people as active citizens in disaster readiness, resilience, and risk reduction.
- Acknowledging that climate change is impacting disasters, causing them to be more frequent and more intense. Disasters are now experienced as multiple, compounding and cascading events. Young people’s futures are disproportionately affected.
- Aiming to strengthen the capacity of relevant emergency and disaster organisations to engage and work with young people.
- Acting as a clearing house for knowledge translation, commissioning, contributing to, and disseminating research with, and about young people’s engagement with disasters.
- Utilising evidence to inform and improve engagement with young people and policy responses.
- Championing place-based approaches, prioritising local community responses enabling young people’s agency as active citizens.
- Advocating with young people for young people’s rights and wellbeing.
About Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic)
Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic) is the peak body and leading policy advocate on young people’s issues in Victoria. YACVic’s vision is that the rights of young people in Victoria are respected, and they are active, visible and valued in their communities. YACVic is an independent, for-purpose, member-driven organisation that represents young people (aged 12–25 years) and the sector that works with them.
YACVic provides additional targeted advocacy, through our key services, YACVic Rural and via strong partnerships with other leading youth sector agencies the Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS); Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC): Koorie Youth Council (KYC); Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY); amongst others.
About Victoria University (VU)
Victoria University (VU) is a world-class teaching and research institution committed to working with our partners in co-defining and co-creating research to address the needs of our communities locally, nationally and globally. For VU, research with impact is more than knowledge but ethical knowledge, more than strengths but solutions, and we see those values informing the creation of the Centre of Excellence. We also see the alignment of many of the issues young people have raised regarding their involvement in emergency management, around disasters, and community resilience building with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are a key focus of VU research. We are also well positioned as a dual-sector university across higher education and TAFE to consider all aspects of education, training and skills development for young people.
Child Safety
YACVic, its core and partner agencies, will not tolerate any abuse of children and young people.
In Victoria, Child Safe standards aim to protect children and young people from abuse in organisations, including physical violence, sexual offences, serious emotional or psychological abuse and/or neglect.
As part of these standards, all staff and volunteers commit to:
- Prevent the abuse of children and young people in our care, by identifying risks early and removing and reducing these risks;
- Take all allegations and concerns about abuse very seriously and respond to them consistently, in line with our policies and procedures;
- Comply with all legal requirements, including reporting suspicions of abuse to police and/or child protection.
All members of this working group aged over 18, and those who work with them will be expected to have a Working With Children Check (WWCC). YACVic will assist you to obtain this if you are successful
To further support high quality, equitable and ethical work with children and young people, all staff and volunteers are expected to follow the Code of Ethical Practice for the Victorian Youth Sector.
Structure of the Advisory group
The Advisory group will be made up of a maximum of 12 young people aged 12-25 years, who have an interest in or who have lived experience of disasters impacting their communities.
The advisory group will meet bi-monthly and will commit to a one-year term.
While we encourage young people who have an experience with or connection to an existing emergency/disaster program, we aren’t looking for organisational representation on this body. So, you don’t have to be connected to a traditional emergency organisation (like SES or CFA) to apply.
This Advisory Group needs to be reflective of the fact that disasters impact everyone in different ways, no matter where you live and must be representative of the community. Therefore, young people from all backgrounds, experiences and identities are encouraged to apply.
About the role of an advisory group member
- Regular and ongoing contact over life of the project
- One-year terms with the options of a one-year renewal
- Roles and responsibilities:
- Provide input into the direction of the Centre and its various projects
- Inclusion in the development of journal articles and conference presentations
- Inclusion as peer trainers/lived experience panel members
- Support in the identification of priority action areas
- Attend meetings using the video-conferencing software Zoom or in-person. Hybrid options will be available (data and equipment can be made available for those that require)
- There will be opportunities to upskill like chairing meetings and running presentations
- Inform the Centre on what’s happening in your local community
About you
- You are aged 12-25 years
- You can commit to regular bi-monthly meetings
- You may have experience being involved and connected to an existing emergency /disaster program or organisation in your local community, or climate action group, though this isn’t essential.
- This could be via the CFA, SES, Future Proof or local government or any other way you are involved in your local community
- If you are over 18 you will be required to provide a valid working with children check and police check – we can assist you in obtaining
What you will receive
- Support to participate for the full term of your appointment
- Regular updates on what is happening with the Centre and any key events of interest
- Volunteer payments will be offered for every meeting, event and presentation and will vary depending on their length and time commitment. For example, 2hr meetings will be $100, full day events will be negotiated depending on what is required of you. You will be able to choose payment via a bank transfer or electronic gift card.
- All out of pocket expenses including travel/meals and accommodation will be covered.
- You will receive training in the following areas:
- Child Safety
- Change Agents training
- Data and device equipment available for those that need it to enable you to contribute and participate