Introduction

The Shire of Esperance’s successful application to the Department of Local Government and Communities ‘Youth Friendly Communities Grant’ funding program established the ‘Communities for Youth (CfY) project. In March 2015 CfY engaged young people to attain input as to how the Esperance could be more youth-friendly. As a requirement under the funding criteria eight themes were reviewed and explored to understand what was important to make Esperance a better place and experience for young people. The eight themes are listed below, 1. Education, Training & Employment 2. Community Support & Health Services 3. Leisure, Recreation & Social Life 4. Transport & Housing 5. Public Spaces, Buildings & Natural

Environment 6. Communication & Information 7. Civic Participation & Volunteering 8. Respect & Inclusion Following the completion of this project, the Shire of Esperance were offered additional funding to support the next stage of the project, as agreed to by both parties and the funding criteria. The Shire of Esperance was successful in receiving this funding to support further youth engagement activities including the Esperance Youth Summit. This report provides an overview of Communities for Youth Stage 2 (S2) including the process and key outcomes. This report has been prepared by Jodie Mortadza of Consult Innovate Create (CfY Facilitator) with input and feedback from the Shire Community Support Officer, Lynda Horn and Executive Manager Community Division, Rod Hilton.

What is a Youth-Friendly Espeance Community?

During the initial CfY engagement activities (Stage 1) in Esperance the participants identified the key ‘ingredients’ that they believed were essential to make a youth-friendly Esperance community. It was noted that some of these were already in place however there was potentially room for improvement plus a greater focus towards supporting a better experience for all young people in Esperance. These are listed below along with a brief explanation as to describe each specifically. •Welcomed: Young people feel welcomed into a place (etc.), whether that be the atmosphere, the experience or the set-up. • Youth Specific: Places, spaces and activities specific to young people; where they felt connected, safe, supported, understood their specific needs and interests and provided opportunity to be with other young people. • Affordable: Many young people were simply excluded due to costs, including low costed activities hence this was an important consideration for youth inclusion. • Accessible: Many young people were also excluded due to not being able to access activities (e.g. transport, support, public facilities etc.) hence this was another important consideration for youth inclusion. • Individual Factors: When it comes to young people it is most important to respect and understand that one size does not fit all. What may work for one young person may not necessarily work for another and this can be well outside of their control. Examples include confidence/self-esteem, family culture/relations, socio-economic factors, personal supports or lack of them, etc. Hence when talking about young people we needs to consider the varying factors that impact their lives, their choices and their options.