The Wellspring

From Friday 31 August - Monday 3 September 2007 the Brisbane City Council will host the 6th Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS), the region’s “premier government and business forum”. The Summit’s theme will be “Renewing Asia Pacific Cities” and will look at the issues of:

• sustainability
• livability
• economic development
• leadership and governance

For the first time ever, the Asia Pacific Cities Summit registration fee will be fully paid for 100 young people aged 16-25. Businesses and participating cities will sponsor the AUD $1250 delegate registration fee for young people across the region, who will be selected through an open application process.

(For the purposes of the Summit, the Asia Pacific region includes East Asia, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and the US and Canada.)

For further information and to download an application form, see http://www.visible-ink.org/default.aspx?TabID=229.

For further information on the APCS and its associated activities, see http://www.apcsummit.org/.

Applications close Monday, 28 May 2007.

The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) has published its Year in Review 2006 publication, which gives a snapshot picture of civil society engagement in the policy and normative work of the UN. It reviews the various consultations, forums, policy dialogues, hearings and civil society arganisation (CSO) advisory committees that have taken place throughout the last year.

By detailing the variety of different avenues through which CSOs can get involved in the UN’s decision-making, the publication may be of special interest to those who are looking at working more closely with the UN agenda and building experience working in an intergovernmental environment.

To download a copy of the Review, see http://www.un-ngls.org/site/IMG/pdf/YiR2006.pdf.

Yes, so it’s been quite a while since the last post! Between interviews for seasonal clerkships with law firms, I’ve been attending the National Youth Affairs Conference (where the big news was a firm commitment by the Shadow Minister for Women and Youth Tanya Plibersek that the ALP would, if elected, re-establish a Minister for Youth and a national youth affairs peak) and have since fallen sick with a nasty cough. I should be back on board over the weekend, with a nice backlog of announcement and opportunities to get through.

Excitifying!

Late last year the Australian Parliament passed the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Act. (The Howard Government had tried to pass the law in 2004, but was unsuccessful.) This piece of legislation made a number of changes to the way Australians vote. Amongst others, it:

• increased the threshold beyond which one must disclose political donations to $10 000,
• introduced a proof of identity requirement for people enrolling, updating their enrolment, or provisionally voting, and
• revoked the voting rights of prisoners serving a sentence of full-time detention.

Most significantly for young people, the Act provides that no one will be added to the electoral roll after 8:00PM on the day the writ of election is issued. Voters who wish to merely amend their existing record on the electoral roll have three working days after the issue of the writ. Previously, voters had one week to add their name to the electoral roll. And of course, if you don’t have an active and accurate listing in the electoral roll, you can’t vote.

At the time, the Australian Electoral Commission estimated that up to 80 000 citizens who would otherwise be entitled to vote would be prevented from doing so, whilst 200 000 voters would be enrolled at an incorrect (usually a previous) address.

Many youth groups saw the move as a way to limit the political effect of young people by removing them from the democratic process of voting. They argued that young people - especially potential first-time voters who had not yet enrolled - would be disproportionately affected. The AEC says that only 56% of 18-year olds are currently on the Electoral Roll, and the NSW youth affairs peak, the Youth Action and Policy Association, says that ‘young adults are far more transient than other age groups and are often moving out of home, or changing their residence due to their employment and education needs. As a result, they often leave their enrolment to the last minute.’ Labor Party MP, Steve Georganas said: “Young Australians… who are not experienced in participating in our national democracy and who are just starting their lives as young adults are naturally going to be preoccupied with concerns other than politics. We should not be trying to exclude them for failing to be ultra-conscientious with the timing of their enrolment. On the contrary, we should be encouraging their engagement with the process.”

Now, the progressive political movement GetUp! is rallying behind the issue, with a new campaign called Don’t Let Them Stop You From Voting. GetUp! is currently collecting signatures for a petition to repeal the legislation. At the time of this post, they have 23976 signatures.

To add your name, visit http://www.getup.org.au/campaign.asp?campaign_id=75.

To download forms to register to vote or update your details, visit the Australian Electoral Commission’s website at http://www.aec.gov.au/_content/what/enrolment/forms.htm. To check your enrolment details online, visit https://oevf.aec.gov.au/.

Update (10 May): At the end of April, the Australian Electoral Commission issued a Fact Sheet explaining the new Close of Rolls arrangements. It is available at http://www.aec.gov.au/_content/What/enrolment/cor_factsheet.htm.

Difference of Opinion is the ABC’s new debate show, which tackles a different topic each week with a panel of experts. Issues that the show has looked at include climate change, education, multiculturalism, water conservation and home ownership.

Difference of Opinion is recorded with the participation of a live studio audience of approximately 60 adults (that is, aged over 18). The audience will have the opportunity, at various times throughout the program, of participating in the debate by asking the panellists questions and commenting on their responses.

On Monday, the 23rd of April, 2007 Difference of Opinion will be doing a show on Generation Y. The programme coordinators are currently looking for people to fill the studio audience. The audience should arrive at the ABC Studios in Ultimo, Sydney, no later than 5.45 pm; the recording will last from approximately 6.30pm to 8pm. The show will be broadcast later that same night at 9.35pm.

The teaser for the programme reads:
Some believe Generation Y is the luckiest generation yet, with all the material goods that previous generations only dreamt of. They were born into a time of low unemployment, economic growth and prosperity, and have only ever known good times, some say all they want is a good time! Many Y’ers see it very differently; they think they’ve inherited a troubled world, where society is breaking down. For a start, there are record numbers of divorced and single parents, divorce boomed in 1976, the year Gen Y’s began arriving, going from 13,000 in 1971 to 63,000. Gen Y has also grown up in the uncertain age of terrorism, not to mention the realization that Climate Change needs to be seriously addressed. Is this really a worry free generation? Are Gen Y really spoilt for choice or are they busy cleaning up after a lot of mess? In what state did the boomers leave the country for the generation that was to come? We explore what the feelings are about the sort of world generation Y has inherited and how is it affecting them? Gen Y was also the first to grow up in the ‘digital age.’ With the advent of the Internet and other such modern condiments came sites such as ‘Youtube’ and ‘Myspace’, these new ways of communicating, also brought new ways of bullying known as cyber bullying. We look at how bullying is effecting youth. Some say that generation Y are so caught up in their gadgets that it’s made them apathetic to outside causes making them a selfish self obsessed bunch. Is being overly connected making for a disconnected youth? We look at what is concerning this generation on Difference of Opinion what makes them tick and how they envisage their own futures.. Tonight we talk about this generation and we ask Y?

If you would like to be in the studio audience, please RSVP to Sonia Parison (Parison.Sonia@abc.net.au), Difference of Opinion’s Audience Coordinator by Thursday 19 April , 2007. Please indicate whether you wish to bring a person(s) with you.

For more information on the programme, see http://abc.net.au/tv/differenceofopinion/.

The Not-For-Profit Network has developed an new awards program to highlight the achievements in the sector over the past 12 months.

The Not-For-Profit Network Awards will be presented to achievers from Australia and New Zealand. The awards have a strong focus on individuals, organisations, and projects whose actions have helped their organisation to be more sustainable, more successful and achieve
their vision. The award categories are:

• BDO Kendalls Not-for-profit Organisation of the Year - for advances
  in sustainability that support the organisation’s vision.
• Suncorp Investment Management CEO of the Year - for a not-for-profit
  leader whose vision and innovation is recognised both within their
  organisation and throughout the sector.
• Rydges Hotels and Resorts Team Member of the Year - for a staff
  member or volunteer who has shown creativity, innovation and
  dedication to achieving the organisation’s vision.
• Software Design Group Project of the Year - for a project that has
  achieved buy-in from a variety of supporters and has helped the
  organisation in achieving its vision.

The only catch is that organisations are only eligible for entry if they are a enrolled in Not-For-Profit Network’s SubscriberPlus program, which costs $590 for a single office and $1490 for a national organisation. This effectively puts it beyond the reach of most youth-run organisations (and probably a lot of other small not-for-profits too).

I don’t see why enrollment in their subscription program should be a condition of entry. Given that there is a separate (small) entry fee and that the awards are not monetary, I’m inclined to be quite cynical of the whole endeavour.

But anyhoo: for further information and to download an entry form, see http://www.nfpn.com.au/cm.esp?id=3001&pageid=_2100WFA7I.

Applications close Tuesday 31 July 2007.

Update (28 May 2007): I received a call this afternoon from the Not-For-Profit Network informing me that contrary to what I had written, any Australian or New Zealand not-for-profit organisation is eligible for entry. Organisations enrolled in the SubscriberPlus program have to pay an entry fee of $24, whilst non-subscribers pay $74.

From what I can tell, this tiered fee structure is a sensible change to the original eligibility requirements on which I commented: the original email notice said:

How to enter
1. Check you are enrolled in Not-For-Profit Network’s SubscriberPlus program.
…

In any case: good news.

Vibewire.net has taken the stale old conference model and rebooted it, bringing it online and democratising it. Their e-Festival of Ideas gives everyone the chance to get the lowdown on some of today’s most compelling issues and to contribute their perspective and opinions.

Held in conjunction with National Youth Week 2007, the e-Festival of Ideas connects young Australians with guest panelists and experts from a wide range of fields.

The twelve panels run for six days during National Youth Week (16 - 24 April, 2007), 24 hours a day.

This year’s panels include:

• From Pen to Pulpit: Writing for Performance
• Show Me the Money: How to Get Funding for Your Art
• A Room of One’s Own: The Use and Value of Creative Space
• Don’t Throw Stones in Greenhouses: Constructive Responses to Climate Change
• Shortcircuiting the Gate: The Rise of Independent Media
• Your Rights at Work: Industrial Relations in Howard’s Australia
• Fan Club or Critic’s Circle: Finding Your Voice in Music Journalism
• The Changed Faces of Multiculturalism
• Outside the Bounds of the City: Young People in Rural and Regional Australia

and three other special sponsored panels to be announced.

For more information and to get involved, see http://www.vibewire.net/efestival/.

The Australian National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), is currently calling for expressions of interest from young Australians interested and active in UNESCO’s areas of work to join the National Commission’s Youth Network. Young people with strong interests, experience and networks across the Pacific region are especially encouraged to apply.

UNESCO is a specialised agency of the United Nations. Its major objective is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration among nations in the fields of education, the sciences, culture and communications. See http://www.unesco.org/ for further information.

The Australian National Commission for UNESCO advises the Australian Government on all matters relating to UNESCO, liaises with organisations, institutions and individuals on matters relating to UNESCO and supports programmes which contribute to achieving UNESCO objectives and ideals. Members are eminent Australians with experience and backgrounds in areas relevant to UNESCO and are appointed by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs. See http://www.dfat.gov.au/intorgs/unesco/ for more information.

The Youth Network is one of the National Commission’s six thematic networks (the others being education, culture, natural sciences, social sciences and communications and information technology). Each Network is a small group that reports to the Australian National Commission for UNESCO and is chaired by one of its members.

The network provides advice to the National Commission (for example, on endorsement or funding requests), develops its own strategies and project proposals (such as draft resolutions for the UNESCO General Conference), collects and disseminates information and conducts or assists with relevant National Commission projects (such as the 2004 UNESCO International Youth Leadership Event in Adelaide).

Members of the Network have opportunities to attend meetings of the National Commission and to participate in external events on behalf of the National Commission (such as the 2006 Pacific Youth Festival). Membership may also provide exposure to a variety of opportunities in other activities and organisations.

The Youth Network is currently focused on developing a capacity-building event for young community activists from across the Pacific, to be held in Melbourne in September 2007, and on preparing for the upcoming UNESCO General Conference, to be held in Paris in October 2007.

Expressions of Interest from young Australians aged 12 – 25 and active in the issues and areas in which UNESCO works (education, social science, natural science, culture and / or communication) can be forwarded by email to the Chair of the Youth Network, Alan Wu (alanwu-at-alanwu.org), by Monday, 30 April, 2007. Prior experience in UNESCO programmes or initiatives is not required.

Applicants may wish to include a short introductory note detailing their background and interests in UNESCO’s areas of work, and a CV. Members will be selected based on their activity, knowledge and interest in a UNESCO area of work and access to broad-based networks for communication and consultation (with a special focus on interests, experience and networks across the Pacific region).

Please feel free to leave any questions regarding the Network or its aims and activities in comments to this post.