Youth Voice Jr is an exciting pilot program launched in 2024 at Sanctuary Point Public School. Based on the successful Youth Voice Project run at Vincentia High School, this initiative was designed to empower Year 6 student leaders with leadership, project management, and advocacy skills.
The program gives students the opportunity to design, pitch, and implement meaningful projects that make a positive impact on their school community.
What is Youth Voice Jr?
Youth Voice Jr adapts the core principles of the Youth Voice Project to suit younger students, focusing on school-based initiatives and fostering leadership in an age-appropriate way. This two-term/20-week program equips Year 6 students with the tools to turn their ideas into real, impactful projects.
Program Highlights
Pilot Year: 2024
Location: Sanctuary Point Public School
Based On: The Youth Voice Project at Vincentia High School (2023–24)
Who Participates: Year 6 Student Leaders (School Captains and Sports Leaders)
Focus: School-based projects
Winning Project: Selected by the school executive team
What Students Learnt
The Youth Voice Jr program introduced students to community, leadership, research, and project planning through hands-on workshops and mentoring.
Being a Community Member: Through participation in the Community Minded Kids program (link), students deepened their understanding of their roles and impact within the school community.
Introduction to Research: A researcher from Uniting’s team introduced students to research concepts, and they learned it’s importance and how and why it informs decision-making.
Conducting Research: The students put their knowledge into practice by collecting data using various research tools from their peers and the school environment to shape their ideas.
Project Ideation: Using the Design for Wiser Action tool, the students brainstormed and refined three potential project ideas based on their research.
Pitching Skills: Students learned how to confidently present their ideas to the school executive team. Due to time restraints, the students’ pitches were filmed and shared with the executive team.
Project Management Phases: Exploring the phases of project management, including initiation, planning, execution, controlling and closing.
The Impact of Youth Voice Jr
This pilot program has proven to be a valuable learning opportunity for Year 6 students, fostering both personal and academic growth. By taking ownership of their projects, students developed essential skills and a greater sense of pride in their contributions.
Key Benefits
- Enhanced leadership and teamwork skills
- Improved confidence in public speaking
- Practical project planning and management experience
- Stronger problem-solving and critical thinking abilities
- Greater connection to their school community
- A sense of accomplishment and recognition for their work
From High School to Primary School: The Youth Voice Journey
The Youth Voice Jr program builds on the success of the Youth Voice Project at Vincentia High School, which ran from 2023 to 2024. While the high school version allowed students to tackle large-scale community projects, Youth Voice Jr focuses on empowering younger students to create change within their school environment.
Both programs share a common goal:
To give young people a voice, practical skills, and the confidence to lead.
What’s Next?
The pilot program has laid a strong foundation for future leadership opportunities at Sanctuary Point Public School. We look forward to expanding Youth Voice Jr and continuing to support young leaders in our community.
Want to Learn More?
If you’d like to know more about the Youth Voice Jr program or explore how you can get involved, get in touch with us today!
