Community involvement in this Strategy 

The Strategy’s development involved extensive consultation with 264 young people aged 12 to 25, 51 parents and caregivers, 10 organisations and stakeholders and numerous Council members, Shire employees and the broader community.

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