Oakhill College is proud to be a participant in UNICEF Australia’s Young Ambassador online consultations on the impact of Covid-19 on young people in Australia. Since April 2020, UNICEF Australia has surveyed over 1,000 young people across Australia to understand how the pandemic has impacted them. These current online consultations will inform Wave 2 of their research, which will continue throughout 2020 as part of UNICEF’s ongoing commitment to hearing and elevating the voices of young people across Australia.

Student voice is essential at Oakhill, and we understand the pandemic has profoundly altered student’s lives. Input from Oakhill students into this investigation will assist in helping to understand the changing effects that Covid-19 is having on our youth. This morning, students spoke with UNICEF Young Ambassadors from around Australia on a wide range of issues and experiences that have affected them during the current pandemic.

This is a unique opportunity for Oakhill students to have a say and influence public policy at the highest level on matters that affect them. The consultation provided an engaging and practical platform to experience what it means to have rights and for the government to serve its people. Students also learned about children’s rights and participated in an interactive discussion to share their lived experiences and what matters to them.

Our students were appreciative of the opportunity to be asked their opinion on matters of national and international significance. It is pleasing to know that our students are contributing to understanding and change on a global level.
The UNICEF Young Ambassadors will share the findings of their research with key decision-makers in government later in 2020.