Celebrating Young Victorians This September
The skills and achievements of young Victorians will be celebrated in September with a month-long festival delivered with the support of the Allan Labor Government.
Minister for Youth Natalie Suleyman today announced the upcoming program of Youth Fest 2024 events and activities co-designed and delivered by young people.
Grants of up to $2,000 were awarded by the Labor Government to 1,100 recipients including schools, local governments and community organisations this year to support Youth Fest events and activities.
Youth Fest grant recipients have worked with Victorians aged 12 to 25 across Victoria to deliver festival events and activities.
The festival is set to include a range of events, from a silent disco walking tour to a youth leadership roundtable, music festivals and creators’ markets, sustainable clothes swap, skate and other sport competitions, a digital arts exhibition and more.
Events and activities will be held across Victoria – making it possible to celebrate the achievements of young people in Melbourne and the regions.
Melbourne based activities will include a clothes swap at headspace Melton to encourage social inclusion, a youth-led free basketball and soccer competition at Malahang Reserve in West Heidelberg and an Arts Festival celebrating the diverse talents of young people with disabilities in the municipality of Hume.
Regional events and activities planned include a Taylor Swift trivia night in Greater Shepparton, a gaming event in Stawell and GeekCon in Wangaratta focusing on all things comic and pop culture.
The festival will also see the return of the Hilltop Music Festival, showcasing the musical talents of Monbulk College students. The school is looking to build on the success of the first Hilltop Music Festival which sold 660 tickets and had two stages with more than twenty acts performing.
Youth Fest is supported by an investment of close to $220,000 in grants from the Labor Government to make it possible for young Victorians to lead events and activities, showcase their skills, share ideas and expand their networks.
Young people and their communities are encouraged to participate in Youth Fest this September, marking the seventh year of Victoria’s youth celebration supported by the Labor Government.
For the full Youth Fest program, visit vic.gov.au/youth-fest.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Youth Natalie Suleyman
“Youth Fest is yet another way we’re giving young people opportunities to express their ideas and have their voices heard.”
“Our state’s young people are bursting with creativity, leadership skills and talent – and we're supporting them to shine.”