2024 Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations

Opportunity Closes: Friday, September 22nd at 11:59pm AWST.

The Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations is appointed annually in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Under the age of 25, the Youth Representative undertakes consultation and engagement with young people around the country, as well as stakeholders who make decisions that affect these young people, to represent Australian youth in domestic and international spaces.

Applications are now open for the position of 2024 Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations.

Please note that all applicants must be between 18 to 25 (inclusive) years of age at the time of application.

Download a copy of the Position Description and Selection Process instructions below (if you use a screen reader, please select the word filetype).

The 2024 Youth Representative Program

The Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations (UN), and the Youth Representative Program, is an initiative of UN Youth Australia in collaboration with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The Youth Representative’s responsibility is to represent young people within Australia in both domestic and international spheres.

Throughout their term, the Youth Representative undertakes consultation and engagement with young people aged 12 to 25 around Australia to represent the issues they are experiencing. In September/October, the Youth Representative travels to New York to represent Australia’s young people at the United Nations, as a member of the Australian Mission to the UN. Across their term, they will engage in a range of different fora and activities with key stakeholders, including decision-makers that affect young people, to represent youth perspectives at the domestic level.

The Listening Tour

The core domestic component of the Youth Representative Program is the ‘Listening Tour’, a nationwide consultation of young people aged 12 to 25 to engage with their perspectives, experiences, and opinions on issues that matter most to them. Importantly, these consultations go beyond listening to connect young people together so they can hear similar and differing perspectives within their generation and communities.

These consultations are designed as interactive workshops that include discussion, sharing, and collaborative activities to unpack potential social issues of concern, and why they matter at an individual and collective level. Aligned with Program design and outcomes, the Youth Representative will co-create the consultation process to incorporate aspects of their vision, interests, and expertise. Hosted in collaboration with a range of organisations including UN Youth Australia’s Divisions, councils, youth groups, governments, and private institutions, these consultations are youth-led spaces that are safe and engaging for all young people.

The Listening Tour involves travel to Australian States and Territories on a block-by-block basis. Travel is designed with the Youth Representative’s personal and work capacity. The Youth Representative will be expected to conduct at least online consultations nationally and in-person consultations within their home city.

The Survey

A nationwide survey is a key knowledge-gathering mechanism that forms part of the Listening Tour. Each year, aligned with submissions in previous years’ surveys, current trends, and the Youth Representative’s vision and interests, a survey is created and distributed for all young people 12 to 25 across Australia. The survey focuses on understanding youth demographic trends, sentiment and experiences to key social areas of interest, the social issues most important to that young person and why, and an opportunity to provide a message to the United Nations and a vision for young people.

The survey is electronically accessible and forms a significant part of the statistical and qualitative body of knowledge that directly describes the experiences, opinions, and motivations of young people in connection to (their) social issues.

The Youth Representative will be expected to co-create the questions and flow for the 2024 Survey, with public submissions open between February and September 2024.

The Report

Following the Listening Tour, the Survey, and attendance at the Australia Mission to the United Nations (see below), the Youth Representative will write a representative report explaining their findings on key social issues and experiences of young people in Australia. Using knowledge (data) reported in the Survey and through consultations, the report will communicate the diversity of youth voices and the ‘why’ and ‘how’ these social issues are impacting young people, structured as a ‘Top 10 Issues’ and ‘Youth Goals (Recommendations)’. In addition, the report will contain activities and engagements of the Youth Representative throughout the 2024 Program.

This report will be available to the public and communicated to young people, the government, and the private and community sector through a short report-back period. This period is typically conducted across multiple Australian capital cities between late October 2024 to January 2025.

Engaging with the United Nations and Youth Delegates

The Youth Representative engages with the United Nations throughout their term, primarily via opportunities organised solely by DFAT and the Australian Mission to the United Nations. These opportunities include attending and presenting at several different online committee and forum meetings and engaging with overseas officials and Youth Delegates from other countries.

The Youth Representative will travel to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in September and October of 2024. While in New York, based on their experiences and findings through consultations and the survey, the Youth Representative will represent the views of young people within Australia to the international community. Primarily, a speech to the Social Development session of the Third Committee of the General Assembly will be given by the Youth Representative, representing young people in Australia through their findings obtained during the Listening Tour. Additionally, they will contribute to Australia’s involvement in sessions of the Third Committee and other business as designated by the Australian Mission. Opportunities will further be provided to engage with youth functions of the United Nations outside of Australia’s engagement, including holding meetings, discussions, and networking with Youth Delegates from other member states.

You can watch and read Angelica Ojinnaka’s statement to the United Nations (2022 Youth Representative) here.

Responsibilities

The Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations (‘Youth Representative’ and known as ‘Australia’s Youth Delegate’ internationally) responsibilities include:

Representing all young people in Australia through the knowledge, experiences, visions, and opinions of young people as communicated by young people themselves to the Youth Representative;
Representing Australia and young people in Australia within international forums including the United Nations;
Representing young people in Australia to the Australian community including the community sector, private sector, academic and policy sector, government departments and the local, state, territory and federal government(s).
Co-creating a dedicated and engaging consultation methodology to be carried out with young people across Australia from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives;
Co-creating an accessible survey that includes questions concerning important community interests, in addition to the ability for young people to communicate and explain three issues most important to them;
Executing high-level management and the operations of the 2024 Youth Representative Program, in addition and in tandem to the oversight by the Chief Youth Representation Officer of UN Youth Australia (the primary oversight and responsible officer of the Youth Representative Program).
Working collaboratively with UN Youth Australia and UN Youth Australia’s Divisions (State and Territory branches), including Divisional and National volunteers of the organisation, to undertake the 2024 Youth Representative Program;
Working collaboratively, communicating effectively, and co-leading (with the Chief Youth Representation Officer) the Youth Representative Team in the execution of core functions, including but not limited to, consultation operations, communications and public relations, and sponsorship and partnership development;
Facilitating engagement between the Program and other youth stakeholders domestically and internationally;
Securing sponsorship and partnership funding throughout the Program to support its operations and impact;
Maintaining a strong media and social media presence during their term, including whilst at UN Headquarters and the Australian Mission to the UN in New York;
Behaving publicly, in-person, and on online platforms in a non-partisan manner that is consistent with the views of UN Youth Australia, and where appropriate, Australia, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Mission to the UN; and
Engaging with former Youth Representatives, with your networks with UN Youth Australia, and future Youth Representatives.

Core Competencies

The Youth Representative will possess the following competencies:

A clear and coherent vision for their role as Youth Representative and the undertaking of responsibilities associated with the role;
Strong oral, listening, and written communication skills;
Strong leadership and collaborative competencies;
Experience and the ability to facilitate and work with young people;
Experience representing others and advocating for a variety of issues and perspectives to third-party individuals and stakeholders;
Demonstrated experience in public speaking and engaging verbally in a variety of different fora; and
A demonstrable interest in youth engagement, youth affairs, and the empowerment of young people in Australia.

Past Experience that may aid in the role

The following areas of experience and knowledge may further help (but are not required) the Youth Representative in their role:

Experience in understanding and communicating social research. This may extend to research methodologies and data processing;
Experience in planning and executing initiatives that have a diverse and extensive range of stakeholders;
Experience with campaign planning and media engagement;
Involvement with and communicating between organisations in the youth social impact sector;
An understanding of the workings, goals, and objectives of the United Nations; and
Experience facilitating youth events and workshops, including UN Youth Australia facilitation.

Accessibility and Inclusion

Young people in Australia with diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people, people of colour, individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds and those with ethnocultural and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants can have a confidential discussion with our Chief Human Resources Officer, Sim Monga at chro@unyouth.org.au, about any questions or concerns relating to how UN Youth Australia creates safe and inclusive spaces for people with all lived experiences.

In conjunction (or prior) to submitting your application, please contact the Chief Youth Representation Officer, Igor Andonov, at cyro@unyouth.org.au, with anything UN Youth Australia can do to make this application process more accessible to you, ensuring your access needs are met. Throughout the application process, UN Youth Australia intends to make the process as universally accessible as possible, including the use of accessible zoom meetings for the online interview stage, and universally accessible spaces for the selection weekend stage.

Funding and Compensation

The Youth Representative role, like all UN Youth Australia roles, is undertaken in a voluntary capacity and does not come with a stipend from either UN Youth Australia or DFAT. Through Program funding, partnerships and sponsorships, and relevant grants, all Youth Representative operations including the placement at the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York are financially covered by UN Youth Australia. This means flights, accommodation, food allowance, administrative costs, and all other relevant Program (approved) expenditure is covered by UN Youth Australia.

The Youth Representative Program however is primarily funded by the community and private sector. It is expected that the Youth Representative assists in fundraising and sponsorship seeking early on to aid the Program’s impact potential and success.

Funding for operations in New York is provided to UN Youth Australia by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. While this funding is approved on a yearly basis, it is expected to obtain this funding again for the 2024 Program.

Applying for the role

Apply here through the application portal

The closing date to submit your application is 11:59 pm AWST on Friday, 22nd of September 2023. Applications will not be accepted following the close of applications.

Application Requirements

All applications must include a Statement of Intent (Vision Statement) and Curriculum Vitae (CV) outlining relevant experience and qualifications for the role. There are no prerequisite (or hurdle) qualifications or experience, except for Working with Children Checks.

Your Statement of Intent (Vision Statement) should describe your vision, plan, and goals for the 2024 Youth Representative Program and how you will represent young people in Australia through the core responsibilities. You should connect your vision with your past experiences to explain your suitability for the role. This document should be a maximum of two (2) pages.

Your Curriculum Vitae should describe your relevant experience for the role. We encourage you to highlight any and all experiences, including non-traditional work such as volunteering, academic, and personal projects where they are relevant to the role. We encourage you to focus on sharing your relevant experiences rather than listing all your work as a way to show depth; we do not assess the quantity of work. This document should be a maximum of two (2) pages.

Selection Criteria

All applicants must:

Be between the ages of 18 to 25 (inclusive) between January 2024 and October 2024.
Be an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident;
Be eligible to hold a ‘Working with Children Check’ (or state and territory equivalent) in all Australian states and territories, and be eligible to hold such checks for the entire duration of the role;
Be willing to undertake the position for the duration of the stipulated Program length (February 2024 to January 2025, with induction during January 2024);
Confirm that they can abide by current government vaccination requirements for international and domestic travel OR obtain appropriate medical exemptions;

For the purposes of selection, applicants acknowledge they must be:

Able to obtain and submit a National Police Check and two references (at Stage Two of the selection process);
Be available for an online interview (OR accessible alternative) on either Friday, 20th, Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd, and Monday 23rd of October 2023; and
Be available for a Selection Weekend interview (OR accessible alternative) on Saturday, 25th of November 2023, or Sunday, 26th of November 2023. (Please see Selection Process -> Stage 3: Selection Weekend for further information).

It is expected candidates are aware of these dates and will coordinate their time appropriately so they can engage in the selection process. Other than for extenuating and health-related circumstances, we are unable to provide exceptions for candidates who miss a scheduled interview or who are later unable to attend.

Selection Process

Stage 1: Applications

All candidates are asked to upload their Statement of Intent (Vision Statement) and Curriculum Vitae (CV) outlining their vision and relevant experience for the role. If candidates wish to update their application, please simply resubmit an application. We will use the most recent submission.

This stage involves a selection panel reviewing all documents submitted. Every member of the selection panel will read and review your documents against the criteria outlined in this position description. This selection panel is comprised of young people aged 18 to 25 across Australia.

You will receive the outcome of your application to your nominated email address on Monday, 9th of October 2023. Due to the significantly high volume of submissions, feedback will not be possible.

Access Needs

Within the application form or by emailing the Chief Youth Representation Officer, please share any access needs that UN Youth Australia can implement throughout the application process to make this process easy and beneficial for you. This includes online access needs. If you progress to the Selection Weekend, we will ensure to check again with you about your physical access needs.

If you have any questions relating to our approach to Diversity and Inclusion, please visit the ‘Accessibility and Inclusion’ section above.

Stage 2: Online Interview

The next stage in the selection process will see a number of candidates chosen for an online interview. This interview will be held for approximately 30 minutes via a recorded video call with two selection panel members. Candidates will be asked questions about their vision of their role, but the interview will primarily be a formal opportunity to expand on your application and your understanding of the role. Questions will differ between a standardised set of questions asked to all candidates and questions specific to your application.

At this stage, candidates will be required to provide two (2) references. UN Youth Australia will contact candidates’ referees and conduct relevant checks prior to invitation to the selection weekend, if successful in the interview process. Candidates will also be required to obtain and submit a National Police Check if they are shortlisted for the selection weekend (please do not obtain it prior to being asked to).

You will receive the outcome of the interview stage at your nominated email address on Monday, 13th of November 2023.

Stage 3: Selection Weekend

The final stage in the selection process will have the top candidates flown to Sydney for face-to-face interviews. The Selection Weekend, at this stage, will be held on Saturday, 25th of November 2023, and Sunday, 26th of November 2023. You will only attend a session on one of these days.

At the Selection Weekend, candidates will be assessed across 3 sections; 1 interview and 2 simulation-based activities. Candidates will be informed of the scope and scenario of these simulations upon invitation to the Selection weekend. Candidates will finish the Selection Weekend session with an opportunity to the Chief Youth Representation Officer any questions they may have about the Program. In total, this session should last approximately 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes.

If you are outside of Sydney, the cheapest and most practical flights for the selection weekend will be covered by UN Youth Australia. Other costs such as potential accommodation, food and attending other non-selection weekend activities will need to be covered by the candidate. While there is an expectation that the selection weekend will be attended in person, UN Youth Australia is able to assist with and make exceptions for extenuating circumstances that may prevent candidates from attending – this will not impact the candidate’s competitiveness in the selection process.

UN Youth Australia is currently further experiencing financial constraints with regard to surging flight prices. While we will endeavour to fully cover candidate flight costs, if we are unable to, we will cover the amount we most can and ask candidates to cover the remaining balance. In the event of this occurring, candidates will be offered the opportunity to participate virtually.

Applicants will then be notified when they can expect the results of their application (either in late December or the start of January 2024).

Selection Process Timeline

Thursday, 31st of August 2023	Applications open.
Friday, 22nd of September 2023	Applications close.
Monday, 9th of October 2023	Candidates are notified of shortlisting for virtual video interviews.
Friday, 20th of October 2023 Saturday, 21st of October 2023 Sunday, 22nd of October 2023 Monday, 23rd of October 2023	Virtual video interviews. A timeslot will be provided based on preference.
Monday, 13th of November 2023	Candidates are notified of shortlisting for Selection Weekend.
Saturday, 25th of November 2023, and Sunday, 26th of November 2023	Selection Weekend
Applicants will then be notified when they can expect the results of their application (either in late December or the start of January 2024).

Questions and Communication

We welcome any queries about the application and the selection process to be directed to Igor Andonov, Chief Youth Representation Officer, at cyro@unyouth.org.au. Igor will be your point of contact throughout the process.

Useful Links

More information about UN Youth Australia and its history, here.

Historical information regarding the program, here.

More information about the formal United Nations Youth Delegate Program, of which the Youth Representative Program is a part of, here.Information about applying for a Working With Children Check in each state/territory, here.

Application page for the National Police Certificate, here.