Dear Friend of ACYP,

Special Inquiry Interim Report

In May the Advocate released Moving Cage to Cage: An interim report of the Special Inquiry into children and young people placed into alternative care arrangements (ACAs).

This interim report focuses on hearing the lived experiences of children and young people in alternative care arrangements and lifts up the voices of those who have participated in private hearings as part of this Special Inquiry to date.

Thank you to all the children and young people who helped create this report by sharing your experiences, without which, change could not happen. We look forward to sharing the full report with you soon.

Your Voice, Our Future Survey

 Submit your entry to our Short Film Competition before 25 June 2024

To celebrate the various experiences of young people who arrived in Australia as a refugee or migrant, we are running a short film competition. The theme is 'Tell us a Story'.

If you have something you would like to teach others about your culture, we invite you to share a story through a two-minute film. Your story can be completely made up or have happened in real life.

Competition closes Tuesday, 25 June 2024.

 In Conversation with: Bailey Pickles

Last month the Advocate sat down with Bailey Pickles, a talented young musician we first met in 2021 who, excitingly, composed music for Vivid Sydney 2024.

Bailey's ability to create music that resonates deeply with listeners has gained him global recognition. His TikTok videos, where he plays entire songs after only hearing them once, have garnered over 130 million views.

Under the mentorship of renowned composer Carl Vine, Bailey has worked with artists such as ONEFOUR, James Bay and Guy Sebastian and has released his own hit, "Memories," blending piano, orchestral arrangements, and pop music.

 Kyzar at Coonabarabran, Gilgandra, and Coonamble High School

Last week the team travelled to schools and services across the Barwon region of NSW.

The team engaged with over 550 young people at Coonabarabran High School, Gilgandra High School, Gilgandra Youth Service and Coonamble High School.

Students from these schools were able to hear from Kyzar Jing; ACYP’s lived experience advisor about his own story, and how they too can overcome barriers to their success.

The students also participated in group consultations about what life is like for young people in their communities, and how government and other services can better support children and young across the region.

 Youth Week 2024 recap

This year's Youth Week saw us celebrate young people with the theme Express, Empower, Get Loud!

The Advocate and the ACYP team attended events in various locations such as Walgett, Nyngan, Fairfield, Wollongong, Penshurst, Sydney, Casino, Coraki, Murwillumbah, and Wyong (and many more!).

It was incredible to see so many young people come together from different places to share their voices and talents. Each event was filled with energy, creativity, and a sense of community that truly embodied the spirit of Youth Week.

Huge thank you to all the amazing young people who joined us in the celebrations, your enthusiasm and passion are what make Youth Week so special. We can't wait to do it all again next year and continue to empower and uplift the voices of young people.

 The Advocate at Parliamentary Inquiries

In April the Advocate attended three Parliamentary Inquiries, the NSW E-cigarette regulation and compliance in NSW hearing to present evidence from our vaping report, another into children and young people with disability in NSW educational settings, alongside two 2024 YAC members, and finally an inquiry examining the provisions of the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTQIA+) Bill 2023.

We are incredibly proud of the honesty and bravery of our YAC members for speaking about their experiences. Their experiences, alongside many others, will help guide the NSW Government response to the findings of the Disability Royal Commission, as well as help navigate the new policy framework of the recently published NDIS review.

The Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTQIA+) Bill 2023 aims to provide equality for LGBTIQA+ people by amending 20 different laws.  

Amplifying the voices of children and young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds

If you identify as a refugee or migrant and are under the age of 25 years, we want to hear from you. Please register to participate and share your views about community, belonging, culture and identity and your hopes for the future. If you’re from the sector and want to partner with us, please reach out to participation@acyp.nsw.gov.au.

 New resources from Emerging Minds: Understanding and supporting children’s mental health

Emerging Minds Families has released a new collection of resources aimed at building the understanding and confidence of parents, family members and other adults to support children’s mental health and wellbeing.

This suite of online resources includes a new animation, fact sheets, videos, and podcast about four key topics in children’s mental health:

• Understanding children’s mental health
• What shapes children’s mental health?
• Understanding children’s emotions and behaviour

Five ways to support your children’s mental health. The complete Understanding and supporting children’s mental health collection is freely available on the Emerging Minds Families website.

If you would like to know more about anything in this newsletter or have any questions, please get in touch by emailing us at acyp@acyp.nsw.gov.au.

Zoë Robinson
Advocate for Children and Young People