Youth & Sustainable Consumption Project

1. Youth & Sustainable Consumption Project • Aust Gov’t National Youth Affairs Research Scheme funded research on enabling young people as effective change agents for more sustainable consumption in their communities • IYPF & Griffith University collaboration • Review of academic and policy-related literature, including techniques to empower young people and a review of sustainable consumption tools and strategies • A national youth survey (224 respondents) & face-to-face discussions with key youth reps and informed young people • The design and implementation of a Capacity Building for Sustainable Consumption Change Agents in Australia program, which included 5 sustainable consumption workshops • A review of a wide range of good practice case studies • A discussion of sustainable consumption policies and implications for youth sector policy implementation

2. Youth & SC – A National Program • Appointment and resourcing of a secretariat / committee - that includes young people - to manage a national Youth & Sustainable Consumption program • An Australian version of the UNEP-UNESCO YouthXchange training guide and website on sustainable consumption • A Capacity Building for Sustainable Consumption Change Agents program in each State and Territory based on the initiative developed and trialled as part or the research project • Building local support networks through train-the-trainer workshops and implementation support • Providing initial education, inspiration and training to young people through youth workshops that can be replicated, in whole or in part

3. Youth & SC – ANational Program • A small grants program for young people who develop sustainable consumption projects in their communities through program participation and an annual national awards program for sustainable consumption projects initiated by program participants • Links with other national programs on sustainable consumption (e.g. South Korea and Germany) and with international initiatives such as YouthXchange and the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development • A national program could also fund research on sustainable consumption and consider using social marketing techniques in national campaigns to educate young people on sustainable consumption

4. A National Program – Where to from here? • An IYPF-led Australian working group of youth, young professionals and ESD practitioners working to push the Program forward – collaboration with RMIT • Education and report dissemination activities over the rest of the year • Seeking investment and opportunities: • to implement capacity building programs in specific communities • to develop and implement all aspects of a national program • See www.iypf.org/IYPF-projects.htm