It’s been just a tad busy over the last week.

I’m trying to organise a big forum ( I hate the word ‘forum’, so I’m going to use the word “thingy” from now on) for young people from Perth and surrounding districts. The idea is to get 400 young people together to share what is important to them globally, locally and personally.

There will be tables of 10 young people, each facilitated by another young person. The entire thingy has been created/developed/ driven by young people - oh, and my Mum.

It’s been an enormous task, but it is just another example of how much young people can achieve when given the responsibility.

We’re going to use the new ‘Dialogue” approach of consulting (which has never been used with young people anywhere in the world before). The idea is that the people are asked for feedback on a subject, with each answer being typed into a computer (one on each table). All answers are then collated by a group or people out the back of the room, who then beam the main ‘themes’ obtained from the consultation onto a big screen up the front of the hall. The next consultation question is then asked from the main ‘themes’ from the previous consultation question. It’s participatory action sort of stuff. Get it? Probably not.

At the same time as this is going on, we have organised a Youth Services expo to be held in a neighbouring room. During morning tea and recess, the 400 young people can wander around and check out stalls by youth service agencies. The idea is that people will wander passed a stall and say “OH! I didn’t know there was a cheap counselling service (or youth health or whatever) in my area.” that’s the theory anyway.

Anyway, it’s going to be really cool. For a bit of random fun on the day, we are even going to run laughter workshops and some fresestyling.

But it’s a big (and pretty exhausting) task, and I’ve had to rely on my small band of incredible young helpers. They have devoted their lives to this over the last few months, just because they believe in it. Just because they believe in what young people can achieve for other young people. There is nothing more powerful than having young Australian voices taken directly to the United Nations.

Bring on August 30……