YLab partnered with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to create Deadly Democracy: an initiative empowering First Nations young leaders across Australia with the skills and knowledge to better engage in our democratic process.

THE CHALLENGE

The Australian political system lacks cultural safety for First Nations young people, who as a result are grossly underrepresented within our democratic system.

Deadly Democracy aimed to empower First Nations young people to use their vote as a way to demonstrate leadership and to advocate for themselves and their community.

WHAT WE DID

YLab first recruited First Nations leaders from across Australia and then designed and delivered workshops to equip them with the resources, skills and networks to better understand and influence the democratic process.

The workshops were attended by young people across Australia, including Broome, Port Augusta and Townsville. It was delivered through a hybrid model with some young people participating online and some in-person, allowing for better engagement in regional locations.

THE IMPACT

Deadly Democracy provided First Nations young people across the nation with an opportunity to engage with the democratic process in a culturally safe way. It was co-designed and co-delivered with First Nations people and provided 100+ hours of paid employment to our First Nations young leaders.

'First Nations communities don't interact with our democratic system because we don't see how it benefits us to engage with it. The government has historically been so extractive which creates distrust. But this program showed how First Nations young people can use democracy to the advantage of our communities.'

Co-design participant