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Global Youth Forums

The Global Youth Forum (GYF) is a collaborative forum open to Year 9 Victorian students and select international schools. The program has been running successfully since 2020 as an alternative to the Victorian Young Leaders offshore immersion program.

Student receiving applause after an English public speaking competition

The program's learning design aligns with the capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities of the Victorian F-10 Curriculum and the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO) 2.0 areas of engagement and teaching and learning.

Benefits for students

Students participating in the program:

  • appreciate and understand what it means to be a global citizen by critically interacting with the concept of globalisation, examining its impact on lives, and comparing diverse perspectives
  • deepen their understanding of the impacts of globalisation on education systems and policies. This is done by exploring key issues in education today and identifying the biases and influences that shape their worldview
  • strengthen diverse perspectives and recognise that this awareness is needed to overcome divisions to create inclusive communities
  • identify ways they can respond to diverse views and behaviours and the role they can play in making their vision for the local and global community a reality
  • strengthen their global competency and self-awareness and meaningfully exercise their voice, agency and leadership.

Program structure

In this program, students work across Victorian schools and with their international student peers to critically discuss concepts of global citizenship and identity.

The participants:

  • investigate global challenges facing the international community
  • exercise design thinking to generate ideas to these challenges
  • undertake a collaborative group design challenge that seeks to prototype a solution.

Students are provided with the opportunity to present and seek feedback on their prototypes from their peers and teachers, and are encouraged to pilot their prototypes back in their local school communities.

Teachers and students are supported by pre-forum and post-forum activities designed to build their foundational knowledge for maximum engagement, while also being exposed to captivating guest speakers and youth change-makers.

Key dates

There are two cohorts of forums running in 2024.

For more information on the program structure, key dates and activities, visit the following links:

For questions, contact: global.learning@education.vic.gov.au

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