2021 Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations Announced
MEDIA RELEASE
UN Youth Australia is pleased to announce that Lucy Stronach is the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations for 2021.
The Youth Representative program is run by UN Youth Australia in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Youth Representative’s Listening Tour is the largest face-to-face consultation of young people in Australia. Over 10,000 young people were engaged in 2019 by last year’s Youth Representative, Kareem El-Ansary.
Lucy will be consulting with young people in every State and Territory across Australia and will focus on improving engagement with young people in rural communities as well as making the program more accessible to disadvantaged young Australians. She will gather data on what issues young people care most about, the future they want to build and involve them in being key drivers in decision-making. In 2021, Lucy will take these ideas to the United Nations where she will advocate on behalf of Australia’s young Australians to have their voices heard.
During the Listening Tour, Lucy will be asking young Australians the following question:
’What would Australia look like if young people were the key drivers of decision making?’
“This is a position I don’t take on lightly. Considering the unprecedented events of 2020, I know there has never been a time where youth representation and empowerment was needed more,” Lucy says.
“Young people represent some of the most engaged and educated voices in the world and I have never seen such passion for change as I do right now. Now is the time that we can make massive, tangible change to the systems that govern our lives”.
Lucy Stronach is a current student at the University of Western Australia, finalising her dissertation as part of her Law and Society Honours. Lucy has had many years of practical experience in the field of crime and justice, particularly with the Parliament of Western Australia, Western Australian Police Force, and the Department of Corrective Services. Her work has taken her to the streets of Mumbai to fight for the empowerment of sex workers, to juvenile prisons in San Diego to assist with literacy skills in young offenders, and to the UNDP in Bangkok to work with youth leaders in the promotion of human rights and justice.
Lucy can be reached for and interview or comment at youthrep@unyouth.org.au or via PR communications@unyouth.org.au.
You can have a look at the stories Lucy is gathering all across Australia at fb.com/UNYouthRep.
More information on Lucy and the 2021 Listening Tour can be found here: unyouth.org.au/ausyouthrep.
About the Youth Representative Program
The Youth Representative to the United Nations program, first established in 1999, is the only role of its kind in Australia. Appointed annually by UN Youth Australia and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Youth Representative holds an extensive, nationwide consultation to engage with and discover the issues most important to young Australians.
Known as the Listening Tour, this consultation process sees the Youth Representative meet not only with young people, but also with prominent members of the Australian community. This includes MPs, NGO leaders and those involved in the youth and education sectors. Upon their return, they deliver a report to state and federal governments on the year’s consultations. Due to the travel restrictions of COVID-19, the Listening Tour will be postponed until 2021.
Visit unyouth.org.au/ausyouthrep for further information.
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UN Youth Australia is a national youth-led organisation that aims to educate and empower young Australians on global issues. Young leaders have the vision and passion to create meaningful change within their communities and throughout the world, and aim to equip them with the skills and inspiration to do so.
Media contact:
Sarah Ramantanis, Chief Communications Officer, UN Youth Australia communications@unyouth.org.au or 0478 893 183.
