More young people contribute positively to their communities

We support young people to play a positive role in their communities and to become active citizens with a voice in the decisions that affect them.

Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project

The Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project aims to provide earlier and significantly better help for young people with mental health issues.

In 2012/2013, we led eight of the 22 initiatives in the Prime Minister’s Youth Mental Health Project. These included the Youth Referrals Pathway Review, the Social Media Innovations Fund, and the Information for Parents, Families and Friends fund initiative.

Youth Referrals Pathway Review

Alongside the Ministries of Health and Education, we looked at how to improve the way young people with mild to moderate mental health issues are referred to the help they need. The Youth Referrals Pathway Review found common issues across all the sectors. We need to be more aware of mental health issues and the services that can help. We also need to increase the availability of services to refer a young person for support or treatment.

In schools, online, in families and communities, and in the health system, we are driving new work to support young people with mental health issues.

Social Media Innovations Fund

The Social Media Innovations Fund (SMIF) is a two-stage project that uses social media technology to improve the mental health and emotional wellbeing of young people.

The SMIF project began on 13 November 2012. In the first stage, $100,000 in grants was awarded to five existing projects, including Phobic Trust’s mood diary mobile application which allows young people to monitor their anxiety levels.

The second stage, LIFEHACK, was launched on 28 February 2013. Around 100 young people were brought together in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin to develop social media solutions to improve mental wellbeing services for their peers.

Information for Parents Families, and Friends

The Information for Parents, Families and Friends fund opened in late 2012. It supports non-government organisations to improve the quality and accessibility of information for parents, families and friends of young people with mental health issues.

Five organisations – the Mental Health Foundation, Youthline Auckland, Skylight, Curative NZ, and Innovative Change – have received funding to develop a joint strategy to improve the quality of, and access to, information about youth mental health for parents, families and friends.

The first stage of the joint strategy, a website, will be launched early in 2014.

Increasing youth engagement

Preparation for Youth Parliament 2013

We organise a Youth Parliament every three years. In 2012/2013, we prepared for a Youth Parliament that was held on 16 and 17 July 2013.

Youth MPs are selected by Members of Parliament. They have the opportunity to debate legislation, sit on select committees, and ask Parliamentary Questions of Cabinet Ministers. Youth Press Gallery members are also recruited with the help of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

To oversee the planning for Youth Parliament 2013, we set up a Multi-Party Parliamentary Steering Group in August 2012. This included representatives from all political parties.

Youth 2012 Survey

To learn young people’s views on a range of health and wellbeing issues, we carried out a national survey of New Zealand secondary school students. The survey is carried out every five years by the University of Auckland and is funded by seven government agencies, with the Ministry being the largest contributor.

The main findings from the Youth 2012 Survey were released in August 2013 and will be used to inform future policy development.

Our youth policies are underpinned by previous national youth surveys conducted in 2001 and 2007.

Youth Count

We worked with Statistics New Zealand to ensure more young people took part in the New Zealand Census on 5 March 2013.

We developed a resource called Youth Count. The resource helps those who work with young people outside school to explain and promote the importance of the Census and the impact it has on communities.

Active Youth Citizenship survey in Dunedin

In October and November 2012, we asked 301 Dunedin young people aged 13 to 18 years about the ways they would like to help make their communities better and safer places.

The young people completed an online survey and took part in focus groups. Their information helped create recommendations in a report on how Dunedin young people would like to contribute as active young citizens.

We are working on an Active Youth Citizenship project in Dunedin, alongside Otago Neighbourhood Support and the Human Rights Commission.

Youth Fund 2013

The Youth Fund provides one-off grants from $2,000 to $7,000 for community projects aligned with our Active Youth Citizenship initiative. The projects must be designed and led by young people aged 12 to 24 years or by youth organisations in partnership with young people.

In the 2012/2013 funding round, 147 applications were received in September 2012, of which 49 were recommended for funding by the Youth Fund selection panel. The 49 funded initiatives were delivered between 1 January 2013 and 30 June 2013, resulting in 4,702 young people being involved across various initiatives.

2012–2015 Statement of Intent Performance Indicators

More young people contribute positively to their communities

Intermediate Outcome – More young people are engaged in and contribute to their communities

Intermediate Outcome – More young people are involved in decision-making