Left to right: Elfy Scott, Ella Gow, Ashleigh Streeter-Jones, Taylor Hawkins
Democracy, housing, climate change, economic inequality, sustainability and mental health were just some of the key themes emerging from discussions at the second annual Intergenerational Fairness Summit, held in Canberra this week.
The Summit, hosted by the Intergenerational Fairness Coalition, of which Orygen is a founding member, brought together 120 people – including advocates, policymakers, young leaders, mental health experts and academics – for a day of workshops, dialogue and action.
The need for long-term thinking was emphasised throughout the day, and particularly in the launch of the ‘For Our Future – The Australian Future Generations Policy Brief’, which was led by Foundations for Tomorrow and calls for legislation to ensure future generations are prioritised in the development of government policy.
Workshop participants discussed policy interventions to safeguard future generations
Keynote speaker, Anjali Sharma, 20, highlighted that the election cycle is often at odds with future-generations policy planning, and emphasised that young people are the cornerstone of intergenerational fairness and need to be in the driving seat when creating change.
Meanwhile, former Orygen Youth Research Council member, Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis spoke about governing for the future, and how to improve civic engagement for young people. She spoke about the need to create space for young people at the decision-making table – and ensure this is a safe and accepting space for young voices to express themselves.
Former Orygen ASEAN-Australia Youth Mental Health Fellow Planning Saw also explored the capacity of young people to engage in policy matters, saying “it’s repeated inaction that builds distrust and disempowerment for young people,” and explaining that youth representation in policy should be diverse and reflective of the community.
Professor Pat McGorry (second from left) spoke about the impact of intergenerational inequality
Orygen Executive Director, Professor Pat McGorry, also spoke at the Summit and made a strong link between the impact of intergenerational inequality and increasing rates of mental ill-health in young people.
“Young people are increasingly aware of the worsening situation they will be facing in the future in terms of the environment, housing, cost of living and employment,” Professor McGorry said.
“It will take time to turn many of these concerning megatrends around, and while the current focus on social media is a distraction, we need to ensure young people can access the help and supports they need right now, to help combat their increasing levels of distress.”
Three of Orygen’s national Youth Advisor Council – Amelia Ascuitto, Katie Barton and Maddie Crothers – attended the event, along with Orygen’s Director of Strategy and Engagement Vivienne Browne, Advocacy and Partnerships Advisor Ella Gow and Executive Director Professor Pat McGorry.