South Australian Youth Forum
Changing the World Today, not Tomorrow
The South Australian Youth Forum Bigger Picture Report 2025
The All Voices Tour is the South Australian Youth Forum’s first state-wide youth-led regional engagement initiative, launched in 2024 thanks to the Heywire Youth Innovation Grant from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal. Born from the recognition that many regional young people were being left out of critical conversations, this tour set out to change that.
From humble beginnings, meeting on picnic rugs in public parks, we’ve grown into South Australia’s largest youth-led advocacy body. But the challenges of distance, access, and equity remained. So, with support from young people across four regions, we delivered workshops tailored to the distinct rhythms and needs of Kangaroo Island, the Riverland, Mount Gambier & Wattle Range and Port Lincoln & Eyre Peninsula.
Across six months, we met with over 100 young people, listened deeply, and worked in collaboration with local organisations to ensure the approach felt respectful, relevant, and lasting. The insights gathered formed the South Australian Youth Forum Bigger Picture Report 2025, launched at South Australian Parliament in June 2025.
Key themes from the report:
Life Skills, Financial and Civic Literacy
Young people want practical, real-world skills like budgeting, job readiness, and civic education to help them navigate adult life with confidence.
Mental Health, Connection, Belonging
Mental health support must be accessible, stigma-free, and complemented by programs that foster social connection and a strong sense of belonging.
Transport and Regional Access
Reliable, affordable transport is essential for young people to access work, education, and community life, yet it's sorely lacking across and between regional areas.
Housing, Welfare, and Cost of Living
Housing insecurity and unfair welfare settings are holding young people back, especially in regional communities where independence is a necessity.
Safe, Inclusive Youth Spaces and Free Events
There’s a strong need for inclusive, creative spaces and free events where all young people can connect, unwind, and feel safe being themselves.
Climate Action and Leadership
Young people want to lead local climate responses through education, sustainability projects, and urgent action on environmental threats.
Our conversations revolved around the following topics:
Accessibility, Transport
+ Community
Social Life, Identity + Loneliness
Climate Change, Resilience + Cost of Living
Education, Adulting
+ Life Skills
Bigger Picture Report Summary
The Bigger Picture Report 2025 captures the worries, hopes, and priorities of young people across four South Australian regions, alongside practical ideas for how local councils can lead meaningful change. Entirely authored and published by young people, the Report spotlights the key actions and initiatives towards change.
Keen to read the full report?