Participating

Participation can take many forms including sports and recreation activities; children and young people being able to have their ideas about their home, school and government heard; and being able to participate in social media and online discussions, safely and appropriately.

What participating means to children and young people:

Most of all, supporting participation for children and young people requires respecting and understanding the value of their input as well as listening, learning and acting on it. Children and young people should be actively invited and encouraged to be involved in activities or events and able to make a choice about whether to take part and how. Supporting participation means removing barriers to involvement, or creating incentives for children and young people to take part.

There is a lot of activity already underway across government, the community and business sectors to ensure children and young people can participate in their communities. For example, there are numerous community sport, art, culture and recreation programs and assistance to help families pay for things like sports registration and equipment.

There is more to do and we want to hear your ideas to ensure children and young people can participate in their communities...