About us
Youth Action is the peak organisation representing young people and youth services in NSW. Youth Action works towards a society where all young people in NSW are supported, engaged, valued, and have their rights realised.
Join one of our networks
Western Sydney Youth Services Network
Join the email network for youth services in Greater Western Sydney. Keep up to date about opportunities for young people and connect to other services in the area.
Health Literacy Young Person Network
Join our Health Literacy Young Person Network. Get involved with our regular consultations and conversations about health literacy.
NSW Youth Network
Connect with other young people. Join our regular youth sessions, this is an opportunity to learn from others and share your ideas on what matter to you.
Become a member
With a strong and engaged membership network, we have the collective power to advocate for better outcomes for young people and the services that support them.
Young person member
Young people 12 – 25 years of age receive free membership.
Individual member
Individual membership is for people 26 or older.
Organisational member
Organisational membership fees are based on a sliding scale.
Our Advocacy
Youth Action advocates on behalf of young people and the youth sector. Our work is grounded in the voices and lived experiences of the young people and the services who support them.
Our recent work
Media Release: Youth workers left carrying mental health system amidst psychiatrist shortage
NSW’s severe shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists is forcing youth workers to carry increasingly complex mental health cases without the clinical resources, authority or support they need, Youth Action said today.
New analysis from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists found NSW needs an additional 64.3 full-time child and adolescent psychiatrists just to meet current demand, with the shortfall projected to reach 119 by 2048.
Youth Action CEO Lauren Stracey said the shortage was leaving young people without care and shifting a dangerous level of responsibility onto an already stretched youth sector.
Media Release: Young people turning to crisis support in record numbers as mental health worsens
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Australia’s health 2026 report, released today, found that the proportion of young people aged 16 to 24 who experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months has risen from 26 per cent in 2007 to 39 per cent in 2020-2022.
Youth Action CEO Lauren Stracey said the findings should fundamentally reframe how governments invest in young people’s health.
“We must stop and consider why we continue to wait until a young person reaches crisis before we respond to their call for help,” Ms Stracey said.
Media Release: Youth Action welcomes NSW Budget and a chance to make it work for young people
The Budget provides important investment across mental health, education, housing, cost of living relief and responses to domestic and family violence, and Youth Action says there is now a clear opportunity to make those investments work better for young people.
“These investments are important and will make a meaningful difference for many people across NSW,” said Lauren Stracey, CEO of Youth Action.
“But there is still very little in this Budget built around how young people get help.
“Young people do not always find their way to support the way adults do. Many are juggling school, work, housing and health all at once, and they need help that is easy to see and easy to reach. Without that, help can pass them by.”