Youth Development Program

The Lake Macquarie Youth Development Officer promotes and addresses the rights and needs of young people in the Lake Macquarie Local Government Area by supporting and resourcing the Lake Macquarie youth sector, community organisations and community members.

This is achieved through researching and identifying the needs of young people, agencies supporting young people and the Lake Macquarie community. The Youth Development Officer facilitates the Lake Macquarie Youth Interagency and Combined Youth Interagency and provides a fortnightly newsletter detailing events, training, funding, legal information, resources and other relevant information to the youth sector. The Youth Development Officer can assist services with information regarding submission of funding proposals to enable the provision of identified services. The Youth Development Officer also advocates for young people and youth services, supporting young people and the community of Lake Macquarie.

The Lake Macquarie Youth Development Officer (YDO) undertakes community development and supports other services and workers. The position varies greatly on the area, client group and needs of young people but is likely to include:

Improve the quality of life of young people with a particular focus on those who have been disadvantaged, by increasing the range and effectiveness of systems which impact on young people;

To represent the interests of young people and those working with young people;

To foster the development of Networks;

To provide and collect advice and information on activities, projects, and issues;

To provide advice and information on the impact of broad social and economic issues and their effects on Young People or Youth Services, to all levels of government, unions and the general community;

To monitor policies and practices; to provide a basis for the development of relationship and information flow between the non-government sector, local Governments, the New South Wales government, Commonwealth government and the community at large, on matters relating to Young People and Youth Services;

To undertake, commission, and evaluate research on matters affecting Young People and Youth Services;

To highlight, improve and comment on the position of Young People and Youth Services to the general community and the media;

To provide and organise appropriate training, resources and information; and

To assist the non-government youth sector, governments and their agencies, local communities to plan and implement appropriate responses to meet the needs of disadvantaged Young People.