Psst... check our our latest impact report - our biggest year yet!

At Youth Projects, we know that leadership isn’t defined by age. It’s defined by courage, perspective, and lived experience. Young people aren’t just shaping their own futures, they’re reshaping the way we think about leadership itself. That’s why listening to young voices is so powerful.

This month, two of our Youth Advisory Group members Ethan and Matisse, shared their reflections on what youth leadership means in today’s world.

Picking Up the Pieces - Ethan

In 2025, our world’s future isn’t looking that hopeful. With countries at war and potential for more violence increasing by the hour, national leaders consistently fail at uplifting communities and supplying necessary support. They’ve already grown up and can comfortably sit back in their positions of power, while we, the next generation, are left to pick up the pieces.

Australia’s health is our future. Thus, it is important that our voices are heard in leadership and driving change. We know what we need, what our communities need, better than anyone. But our voices are repeatedly silenced.

Youth-led organisations across Australia are the solution. They offer safe spaces for young people to thrive and be themselves around others sharing similar experiences, with the knowledge they’ll be respected and heard, which isn’t always the case elsewhere.

Young leaders are relatable and thus easier to open up to. Local communities use events, workshops and peer support to assist Australia’s youth development in confidence, friendships, character, and most importantly: skills for the future.

Youth Projects, for example, aids young people in becoming job ready. Alongside helping to create resumes and practicing mock interviews, they explain how payslips and tax works; ensuring young people are never taken advantage of in the workplace.

Surveying the job market can feel like drowning, but there is always support. Even after finding a job, you’re able to seek assistance regarding work.

Support is what holds communities together. Australian Youth Climate Coalition demands our voices are heard. Raising awareness through protests, its young leaders work hard to build a sustainable future and a strong, reliable community.

Knowledge on the state of our world, both politically and environmentally, is invaluable; but often kept secret. Organisations akin to Climate Coalition inform young people about those problems and what they can do to help. Because building a sustainable future is a team effort.

But how do we make our voices heard, outside of youth-led organisations?

It starts with larger, reputable companies hiring young people in decision-making positions, and listening to what they offer. By communicating with their employees, the divide in experience and opinions existing between what is currently provided, and what our generation actually needs, will hopefully begin to shrink.

That might take a while. But organisations like Youth Projects, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, and many more aren’t going anywhere. Safe spaces exist for young people to thrive and prepare themselves for whatever our future holds. Which might not be hopeless, after all.

---

Though Ethan and Matisse share different stories, a common thread runs through both: the belief that young people’s voices aren’t optional in leadership…they’re essential. Whether its creating safe spaces for peers, speaking up in global conversations, or learning through lived experience, youth leadership is about more than titles. It’s about courage, resilience and a vision for a better future.

A Blueprint for Youth Leadership - Matisse

Leadership isn’t an age you reach; it’s an action you take. It isn’t reserved for those with titles or corner offices. It’s defined by the courage to see a problem and take initiative. For young people today, the call to lead has never been more urgent. We inherit a world grappling with complex challenges: a mental health crisis intensified by digital dependence, ethical dilemmas in artificial intelligence, and widening social divides.

Yet we are also the first generation equipped to address them. Technology, global networks, and unprecedented collaborative potential give us tools to achieve feats once confined to science fiction. From building sustainable cities to exploring Mars. At this intersection of challenge and opportunity, we are called to imagine, innovate, and create a better future.

The Courage to Begin

Every transformative movement starts with someone choosing to act. Malala Yousafzai, barely a teenager, spoke out for girls’ education under the Taliban. She didn’t wait for permissions; she saw injustice and used her voice. Leadership begins with that same choice to step forward, often in the face of fear. For me, it was walking into my first job interview at McDonald’s and later applying for Snowsports and Athletics Captain roles despite my fear of public speaking. Small acts, repeated, ignite big change.

The Wisdom in Failure

We often admire effortless success, yet achievements are born from failure. Inventors like Thomas Edison and James Dyson understood this: every misstep is not defeat, but data – a step towards excellence. I learnt this lesson not in the lab, but in the snow. As a Junior Australian Ski Team member, I fell, crashed, and even broke bones. Each setback taught me to refine my technique, control nerves, and build resilience, which ultimately led to winning national championships. And the lesson was clear: embrace failure as fuel for growth.

The Power of Your Circle

Leadership is shaped by the company you keep. I learn from mentors, peers and colleagues who push boundaries. Whether at university, student teams, or international committees, being surrounded by supportive people amplifies ideas and growth. I think of this as curating your personal “board of directors”.

From Blueprint to Action

Leadership is not a solitary pursuit. It thrives in environments that foster courage, resilience and collaboration. Youth Projects and the Youth Advisory Group provide safe spaces to take risks, learn from failure, and grow alongside peers. By bringing young voices to the table, not as tokens, but as architects of change, we move from theory into action. The future belongs to those who dare to lead, who start in the face of uncertainty.

We are not waiting for permission. We are building it together.

---

Our Youth Advisory Team reminds us that young leaders don't just inherit the future, they are actively shaping it now. When their voices are heard, organisations and communities become stronger, more inclusive, and more prepared for what's ahead.

At Youth Projects, we're proud to amplify their stories. Because when young people lead, hope becomes action, and action becomes change.

SEE HOW YOUTH CO-DESIGN LED US TO BIG IMPACT!

WANNA JOIN OUR YAG?