How we talked with the community

Community consultation to develop the Strategy was delivered between November 2023 and February 2024 and included:

•  A print and online survey for young people
•  One on one interviews with young people
•  Five youth workshops
• An online survey for parents and caregivers
• One on one conversations with organisations and service providers
• One Shire employee workshop
• One solution-focused roundtable with services, employees and council members
• A postcard campaign for the broader community

Information about development of the Strategy, including the opportunity to participate, was delivered to the community through the Shire’s website, Facebook and Instagram pages, direct engagement with local schools and key stakeholders, and social media promotion in local community Facebook groups.

About the young people we talked with

To develop the Strategy, we talked with 264 young people. This included 189 through surveys, 63 at workshops, and 12 one on one interviews. The survey data showed that:

• 85% were aged 12 to 17 and 15% were aged 18 to 25
• 54% female, 45% male, 1% non-binary or other
• 4% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• 16% identified as LGBTIQA+
• 16% identified as neurodivergent
• 15% identified as living with a mental health difficulty
• 4% said they were living with a disability
• 4% said they were young carers or young parents
• 74% lived in the shire
• 65% reported using facilities in the shire
• 40% said that they worked in the shire
• 39% used groups or services in the shire
• 20% volunteered in the shire