To coincide with National Youth Week, Mission Australia is calling on young West Australians to help highlight important issues in their lives by having their say in the charity’s 2010 National Youth Survey – Australia’s largest annual check on the views, concerns and values of young people between the ages of 11-24.

In launching the 2010 survey, Mission Australia’s WA State Director, Ross Kyrwood, said it gave young Australians a voice across a range of issues with the information being used to help community groups and governments plan and develop youth services.

“This year the survey has some additional questions around what young people see as the main issues in Australia today, how optimistic they feel about the future and what should be done about the things that concern them,” Mr Kyrwood said.

“These questions in particular will help us to develop programs and strategies that are shaped by the voices of young people themselves.”

Last year more than 48,000 young people (3,812 young West Australians) took part and the findings provided a clear view on the concerns of young Australians.

“In 2009, when asked to rank their concern about 15 issues drugs was ranked most frequently in the top three by 30.3 per cent of West Australians, followed by suicide at 26.8 per cent and family conflict at 25.3 per cent,” Mr Kyrwood said.

“When segmented, drugs were the primary concern for 11-14 year olds with 34.5 per cent including it in their top three – significantly higher than for 20-24 year olds.

“For 15-19 year olds, body image was the major issue at 27.1 per cent, while for 20-24 year olds coping with stress (35.8) and depression (34.6) were at the top of the list.

“Young people’s concerns can be quite volatile – moving around from year to year – and they differ between age groups so it’s important we conduct this survey annually, with as many participants as possible, to obtain an accurate picture.

“The range of concerns – from stress to depression, suicide and body image – also suggest young people are facing increased challenges as they make the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

“The results of the survey assist Mission Australia, other agencies, governments at all levels – as well as schools, parents and families – to better understand young people,” concluded Mr Kyrwood.

Mission Australia’s 2010 National Survey of Young Australians can be completed online at www.missionaustralia.com.au/youthsurvey. It is also available at all Mission Australia services, secondary schools, TAFE facilities and libraries nationwide.

The survey closes on Friday, 2 July with the results to be published later in the year.

Article by Mission Australia