YouthCAN is a program that aims to build the capacities of young activists working in small teams to create change through social justice campaigns. These youth-led campaigns creatively carve out collective visions of change in response to amplifying inequalities that disproportionately affect young people in the context of global crises. YouthCAN is a program developed by the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, delivered in partnership with Victoria University in Melbourne Australia as part of the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies (CRIS).
Together, these four youth-led campaigns form a communal movement, flowing from soft ripples of change into larger waves of resistance and change. YouthCAN has become a community of young activists creating supportive networks and building relationships towards a collective visioning of a future to be made possible.
In this panel we will discuss how the YouthCAN program in Melbourne was developed and adapted in response to rapidly changing COVID-19 restrictions. We will also hear from young people from each team showcasing their campaigns and reflecting on their activist journeys together. In this panel we hope to open up a space for dialogue about how we can work together across generational and institutional divides to centre and support young people's voices and capacities for change.
Speakers:
Jasmeet Sohatay (YouthCAN Project Coordinator, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, UK)
Christopher Phung (Local Youth Campaign Coordinator, Victoria University)
Assoc. Prof. Alison Baker (Victoria University)
Swathi Shanmukhasundaram (YouthCAN guest facilitator, Vermillion Project and ABC)
Youth Activist Teams:
Team: GenZine (Charlotte, Hannah and Emily)
Campaign: GenZine gender and equity magazine
Team: Migrant Justice (Ecem, Sukie, Johara, Kuei and Joshua)
Campaign: Workshops educating young migrant women about wage theft and migrant workers rights
Team: OWP (Piria, Nina, Miranda, Jeannine)
Campaign: #Changethechannel social media campaign and workshop addressing problematic media gendered stereotypes and toxic behaviour
Team: Access for all (Anthony, Tran, Larni, Russell, Tanisha)
Campaign: Employment expo for young people with a disability