Media release - 26 June 2024
The Advocate for Children and Young People, Ms Zoë Robinson, has today released Postcards to the Advocate - the report, based on feedback from hundreds of children and young people about their hopes for their future.
The engagement initiative, Postcards to the Advocate, was announced during Children’s Week 2022, with reply paid postcards sent to organisations that expressed interest in participating. Children and young people were able to share their hopes for the future through drawings or writing.
“What the postcards highlight is that children and young people have a view about their lives, what makes them happy and gives them hope, and that across government, business and community, there are many opportunities to work together to build a future that allows today’s children and young people to fulfil their hopes,” said Ms Robinson.
Over the course of the initiative, ACYP received more than 600 postcards from 24 schools across NSW, engaging with children as young as three years old. Of the postcards received, 97 were from children aged three to six years, 220 were from children aged seven to 12 years, and 338 were from young people aged 13 to 18 years.
The report presents the responses of the children and young people who completed their postcard during the period from October 2022 to April 2023. The key themes shared in the postcards include:
Many young people shared personal hopes for their career, academic success, hobbies and health. Hopes included “to be a policeman and look after people,” Leo, 5 years old and, “I hope I can change someone’s life with my art. I hope to tell stories that inspire people,” Ella, 13 years old.
Children and young people also demonstrated their awareness of the negative impact humans are having on the environment, inequality in their communities and the financial struggles of many. These included the hope to “solve climate change and inequality,” Melissa, 13 year old, and “I would like global warming and gender inequality to be cared for and changed. For our future, the world needs to be fair and cool,” Lyrah, 12 years old. Yuna, 13 years old, hoped for “no more civil wars/wars. No more nuclear bombs. No one misusing power. Everyone getting along.”
Ms Robinson said, “the initiative provided a new and interactive way for children and young people to express what they are excited about and looking forward to, while highlighting what changes they need to see in the future from government and society as a whole, to make their lives better.”
For more information or to arrange an interview with the Advocate for Children and Young People please contact: Anwen Ruttle on 0439 346 249 or at media@acyp.nsw.gov.au.
Postcards to the Advocate - the report.
DownloadMedia release 26 June 2024: Postcards to the Advocate report (PDF 218KB) |
Follow the link below to register so you can receive updates and invitations from the Advocate
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, ACYP is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.