Our Youth Programs

Brief description

For many young people the transition from childhood to adulthood is characterised by rapid change and uncertainty, experimentation and potential exploitation. Some young people lack the skills and knowledge to protect themselves; combined with; peer pressure and various ‘rites of passage’ this can lead to major risks to young people’s health.

The Burnet Institute, with a growing portfolio of youth-related research, public health and advocacy programs in Australia and our region, acknowledges that young people face significant health-related challenges. We believe it is vital that young people are involved in responses to health issues such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV to ensure they are relevant and appropriate. At the Burnet, we seek to promote young men and women as resources to be further developed rather than ‘problems to be solved’ – young people can make a difference!

The Burnet Institute is currently working on several youth-oriented programs in urban and rural Australia and places as diverse as Myanmar, Indonesia, Lao PDR , Papua New Guinea. Innovative approaches are being taken to reach and involve hard-to-access youth, such as campaigns using mobile phone SMS, leadership development programs, interventions at popular music festivals and establishment of youth friendly health services. Examples of the Institute’s work can be found by clicking on the links below. Further information is available via the website:  

To download a  pdf document outlining a sample of our projects with youth, click here.