What young people have taught me this International Youth Day

Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa has been working with external youth advisory groups to better understand what young people want when it comes to learning about relationships, sexuality, and wellbeing.

Health Promotion Team Leader Nicole Ruakere reflects on what she’s learned.

When we first started building our youth advisory project, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what we’d learn. What I didn’t expect was how much rangatahi would change the way I think about youth engagement.

One thing has become clear. Young people don’t need adults to speak for them – they need adults who are willing to listen. 

Over the past year, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside Pasifika and disabled young people, with more advisory groups currently being developed to better reflect the diverse communities and lived experiences of young people across Aotearoa. There is no single “youth voice”, and that’s exactly why this project matters. Every young person experiences the world differently, and our services should reflect that. 

What’s stayed with me most hasn’t been the sticky notes or the formal feedback, it’s been the conversations in between. 

I’ve been constantly impressed by how thoughtful, knowledgeable, and self-aware young people are today. They know what they need, they know what’s missing, and they care deeply about the wellbeing of their friends, siblings, whānau, and communities. 

One theme has come through consistently – the shame and stigma around relationships and sexual wellbeing – which very rarely starts with young people themselves. Instead, it often comes from the discomfort of the adults around them. There’s a lot of fear of getting it wrong, saying the wrong thing, or not knowing enough. Young people aren’t asking us to have all the answers, they’re asking us to listen, be honest, and create spaces where these conversations can happen without judgement. 

The feedback we’re receiving is being brought together with insights from parents, whānau, teachers, and communities to build a clearer picture of what’s needed. Those insights are helping shape future programme and resources development and service improvements across Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa. 

Just as importantly, we’re committed to closing the feedback loop. Young people deserve to know where their ideas have gone, how they’ve influenced our work, and, where we can’t act on something, why. That’s how trust is built, and it’s how genuine partnership grows. 

This project is still evolving. We’re continuing to build relationships with more communities across Aotearoa, so our advisory groups better reflect the diversity of young people’s experiences. The more voices we bring together, the better equipped we’ll be to create services that truly meet the needs of the young people we’re here to support. 

This International Youth Day, I’m reminded what a privilege it is to be invited into these conversations because every time we stop talking long enough to really listen, young people remind us that they already have many of the answers. 

Post by Nicole Ruakere, Health Promotion Team Leader