How young people do democracy: pausing, questioning, creating and bringing others along with them

The second annual Shopfront Youth-Led Conference rounded out a weekend of activity celebrating the 50th birthday of the Sydney youth arts company with a radical and celebrated history.

Hosted by the Sydney Opera House and entirely curated by the Shopfront Youth Advisory Panels, the day was designed by young people for young people. Workshops, performances and panels all explored a central theme: “redesigning success”.

A youth-led conference arrives at a pivotal moment in Australian political life.

Concern about declining young people’s participation in formal or traditional civic and political life, and what that means for “social cohesion”, is growing alongside a more sophisticated understanding of how young people are engaging in democracy differently.

Instead of joining existing political parties, young people are engaging in civil and political life through volunteering, community advocacy and local action.

Arts participation plays a crucial role. The link between the arts, creativity and democracy to build civic capacity is well established.

Arts participation supports children and young people to develop their voice, self-expression and connection with others. It also helps build resilience.

In the face of uncertain social and political futures, these are invaluable future skills for Australia’s young people.

Transforming ideas

As part of the day, I watched TED-Ed, featuring extraordinary young people aged 10 to 18 who had worked with Shopfront for eight weeks to transform their ideas into powerful presentations.

Dan, 14, a “performing arts activist”, told the story of seeing his first show and knowing he wanted to be on stage.

He wants to address financial barriers for young people that limit access to arts participation and seeing live performance. At just 11, he founded a business called Casting Dreams to provide scholarships for young people to support access to the arts.

He argued the performing arts creates community – and it may be the only place where a young person can see themselves reflected.

Dean, 14, urged young people to ask themselves “do I need this?” when it comes to the frightening pace of new game editions and costly new technology updates. He crunched some eye-watering numbers on how much his dad spent ensuring he had the latest edition of the FIFA Nintendo game so he was able to play with his friends and feel included.

Haya argued we need to question the unwritten – often unseen – rules we all obey. When we start to ask some questions about these unwritten rules, she said, we might just unpick the systems of power that uphold the status quo.

Amelia, 15, used the stars and other intelligent life forms to suggest there is more to know and we should remain curious.

Beatrice, 14, introduced us to Aristotle’s concept of Eudaimonia: living with purpose and intention. She suggested finding happiness beyond yourself may be a key to transforming the alarming rates of poor youth mental health in Australia.

Yashra, 15, examined how class privilege plays out in the symbol of the school uniform, telling a powerful story about the discrimination faced by young people who attend schools in the lower socio-economic bracket.

Collaboration – and slowing down

One panel I attended saw a mix of young and established artists discuss collaboration as a skill that must be taught: a skill that, once learned, can make you a better and more resilient human.

The arts both creates and needs great collaborators – including those who do not necessarily identify as artists – in order to thrive.

Great collaboration was defined as challenging and rewarding in equal measures, requiring an investment of time to establish the relational framework that might underpin a strong collaboration.

Across the day, I was struck by how often time and slowing down came up.

The theme surfaced in the opening Welcome to Country; in a workshop that guided us through using each of our senses to really help us pay attention and notice our surrounds; in Dean’s challenge to a culture of constant upgrading; and in the insistence that good work comes from patient, sometimes difficult, collaboration.

Again and again, young people urged other young people to stop equating busyness with success.

It was a quietly radical message, and it came from the very generation that faces the increasing speed of an AI-enhanced future. This is a generation most often told to hurry up: to achieve more, build the résumé, and have the plan.

Here, young people were asking different questions. Who decides what success looks like? What are the barriers standing in the way for people and how do we remove them? What do we gain when we slow down enough to notice?

That feels fitting for an organisation turning 50 that is proudly and fiercely youth-led. Shopfront’s history is one of making space for young people to be heard. This conference showed young people are working through some of the most challenging and persistent social problems.

The most memorable ideas of the day weren’t about doing more. They were about asking better questions, noticing what we’ve been taught not to question, and making room – in our schedules, our institutions and our creative communities – for everyone to take part.

Importantly, these young people know creativity and art play an enormous role in making our lives better in every conceivable way. Creativity and art also have a role to play in politics, institutions and technological interaction.

The conference’s theme, “redesigning success”, was evident in what these young people modelled: pausing, questioning, creating and bringing others along with you.