Easy Read: Moyne and Warrnambool Youth Strategy 2025 – 2030
About this guide
This guide uses short sentences and clear words.
It is a summary of the Youth Strategy for our region.
You can ask a friend, family member or support person to help you read this guide.
Who is this for?
Young people aged 12 to 25.
People who live, study or work in Moyne Shire and Warrnambool.
Parents, carers, teachers and community groups.
What is the youth strategy?
Moyne Shire Council and Warrnambool City Council made a shared plan.
The plan is for five years, from 2025 to 2030.
The plan helps young people feel safe, included and supported.
Councils will work together to improve places, programs and opportunities.
How was the strategy made?
Young people helped to make the plan.
A panel of 20 young people gave ideas and made decisions.
There were 41 in-person conversations with 271 young people and 126 adults
What young people said
- Young people love the region.
- Hanging out in person is important.
- Belonging and acceptance matter.
- Cost of living, mental health and housing are big challenges.
- Transport is a big issue.
- Opportunities and services can be hard to find or access.
- Some programs do not match young people’s tastes.
Areas of focus
Councils will focus on three main areas:
- Creating better spaces and places.
- Improving accessibility and encouraging participation.
- Fostering belonging and acceptance.
Programs and initiatives
Councils will deliver programs and activities. Some examples are:
- Youth Advisory Board: Young people are trained and paid to give advice on issues that affect them.
- Reimagining volunteering: make volunteering easier and more attractive for young people.
- Event programming: Support local events for young people across the region.
- Skills training: Provide training opportunities for young people
- Public space upgrades: create places for young people to gather and hang out.
- Support for jobs: work with partners to open up job opportunities.
- Resource hub: make opportunities and services easier to find.
- Strategic forums: bring stakeholders together to plan and share.
- Advocacy: speak up to governments for young people’s needs.
- Include young people in planning of big projects that affect them
- Celebrate young people and their achievements.
- Youth grants: support young people to run initiatives for peers.
Behind the scenes action
- Set up ways for the two councils to work together.
- Design and run the Youth Advisory Board.
- Deliver Amplify and Engage funded programs.
- Improve spaces like Koroit Youth Space and Mortlake Market Square.
- Look at library opening times for after school hang outs.
- Talk with schools, services and groups often.
- Watch for new funding and apply when possible.
What success looks like
- Young people find and use local resources and opportunities.
- Young people can join in community life more easily.
- Public spaces feel welcoming and fun.
- Belonging and connection grow.
- Young people’s needs are in council decisions.
- Young people live flourishing lives in the region.
Your rights and speaking up
You have the right to be treated fairly and to be safe.
You can make choices and set goals.
You can take part in community life.
You can give feedback or make a complaint if something is not working.
Information should be easy to understand and services should be managed well.
Contact
Moyne Shire Council: 1300 656 564
moyne@moyne.vic.gov.au
Warrnambool City Council: 1300 003 280
contact@warrnambool.vic.gov.au
Word list
- Strategy – a plan for what councils will do over time.
- Co-design – working with young people to plan and decide together.
- Youth Advisory Board – a group of young people who advise councils.
- Advocacy – speaking up to decision-makers for change.
- FReeZA/Engage – Victorian Government programs that fund youth activities.
Sources
This Easy Read guide was created using the Inclusion Australia Easy Read guidance and the National Standards for Disability Services – Easy Read model.