By YAG (Youth Advisory Group) writer Isabel Schilling

Have Your Say Day, the Beaches’ youth voice forum, is back for it’s fourth year. 

This year’s successful forum, held at Northern Beaches Secondary College Freshwater Senior Campus, provided a platform for young people to share their voice on important matters impacting them to a packed, enthusiastic crowd. 

This year’s forum leaders had the opportunity to present to the key decision makers from local, state and federal government. 

With support from Northern Beaches Council and their Youth Advisory Group (YAG), the event sees young leaders from ten local high schools collaborate and network to voice the concerns raised by 2,120 local young people in the Have Your Say Day survey. 

Here are some of the issues that were discussed at Have Your Say Day: 

Social media:

Students explored the impact of harmful online content shaping young people’s identity and emotional regulation.  

They discussed the importance young people place on their phone and social media usage. Highlighted was the idea that online content is not just seen but learned, making it a public health concern. 

They called for community actions including limiting phone use, promoting outdoor activities and empowering schools to continue to educate students on the risks related to phone use, social media and accessing online content. 

Teacher inconsistencies:

177 surveyed participants named education as their top concern. Student speakers addressed the impact of teacher inconsistencies on students' engagement and success. They highlighted a lack of consistency with regular substitute and casual teachers. 

Students called for both immediate and long-term solutions such as third learning spaces and quiet study zones.

Their calls for action also focused on systematic reform of the education system including increased pay for teachers to make it more attractive and extra permanent teaching staff. 

Discrimination: 

Speakers addressed casual discrimination, focusing on racism and homophobia, and its impact on youth mental health, academic performance and inclusion. 

They shared how harmful jokes, bullying and a culture of silence can perpetuate stigma. Students highlighted the risk of this becoming normalised if inadequately addressed, particularly in schools and sports settings. 

They proposed emotionally engaging workshops to educate and dismantle harmful attitudes to normalise queer identity, build empathy and foster inclusion to change mindsets. They noted that ‘little by little, a little becomes a lot’. 

Other issues:

Other issues presented during the forum and discussed during the Q&A session that followed included environmental anxiety, destigmatising mental health, public transport concerns, the overuse of technology and economic pressures faced by young people.

Students called for practical action, community support and real youth involvement in decision making. Their message was clear: listen to us, involve us, and work with us to create meaningful, lasting change.

The results of the Have Your Say Day survey and full transcripts of speeches will be collated into a report, made publicly available on Council website in July 2025.

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