Critical perspectives on child and youth participation in Australia and New Zealand/Aotearoa

Abstract

Issues of child and youth participation in Australia and New Zealand/Aotearoa have distinctive local features; at the same time, they share many qualities with those in other Western countries. In this introduction, I provide some regional context for the participation debate by discussing the demographic, socioeconomic and political environment for children and young people in Australia and New Zealand/Aotearoa. I identify a tension between social changes that have ushered in an agenda of child and youth participatory rights and the economic and political forces that have made meaningful participation for a diverse range of youth difficult to achieve. The collection of articles for this special focus region highlights in various ways how this tension has become the key challenge for participatory programs, research and policy in the region. Throughout the introduction, I refer exclusively to the work of authors from Australia and New Zealand to provide readers with an overview of local work on this topic. A demographic snapshot of children and youth in Australia and New Zealand/Aotearoa helps to situate debates about participation in the region. Children and young people constitute just over 27 percent of the populations in both Australia and New Zealand/Aotearoa (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001; Statistics New Zealand 2001). Unlike in many other Western nations, the geographical makeup of these countries is such that youth often live in rural and regional areas that are isolated from major urban centers and cities. There is also significant ethnic, cultural and religious diversity amongst children and youth in Australia and New Zealand/Aotearoa, as both countries are home to Indigenous populations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia and Maori in 1 Aotearoa is the Maori (Indigenous) name for New Zealand.