This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our Youth Advisory Group and help shape Amnesty International Australia’s engagement with young people and drive genuine youth empowerment for our movement. We’re looking for representatives based in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania.

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is a national advisory body that is committed to proactively improving the participation and engagement of young people in Amnesty International Australia’s (AIA’s) work through our Youth Membership program, grassroots work with activists around the country and our internal governance and leadership structures.

This volunteer role will contribute towards AIA’s broader Youth Strategy goals within the new People-Powered Strategy by supporting youth activism and empowerment within our movement. It is an incredible leadership opportunity for the right candidate. Please note that the successful candidate must be aged between 18 - 25 at the time of joining.

This role is responsible for:

• Advisory: The YAG is the main forum through which Amnesty International Australia (AIA) consults with young people on our campaigns, governance, policy, strategies and other organisational issues. As a YAG Representative you will advise on the best ways that we can proactively engage with and support young people in our external campaigning and grassroots work, and in our internal governance work.
• Supporting the Youth Strategy: The YAG contributes to AIA’s People-Powered Strategy by supporting key staff in delivering the Youth Membership Program. As a YAG Representative, you will provide support for Youth Membership events, both online and offline (within your Region), as well as providing mentorship support to AIA’s Youth Members throughout their activism journeys with AIA.
• Youth Activism: The YAG is responsible for fostering the participation and engagement of youth in AIA’s activism. The YAG works closely with AIA’s Activism Leadership Committees (ALCs) to ensure there are meaningful and genuine opportunities for youth activism. As a YAG Representative, you will respond to requests of engagement with AIA from young people and identify potential partnerships with young activists, in collaboration with the ALCs from your Region.
• Annual General Meeting: The YAG both actively participates in and supports the AIA Annual General Meeting to ensure representation of young people.
• Leadership: As a vital youth leader within the organisation you will abide by all relevant AIA policies and procedures and act as a professional representative of the organisation committed to proactively championing youth engagement. The successful candidate must become a Member of Amnesty International Australia.

The perfect person for this role is someone who is:

• Passionate about human rights and social justice
• An advocate for youth empowerment and youth-driven change
• Enthusiastic about youth engagement and participation in activism
• Excited to be a part of a people-powered movement
• Creative, innovative and open-minded to new projects, opportunities and strategies
• A great communicator and collaborator with young people, as well as people of diverse backgrounds and ages
• Organised, proactive and has good time-management skills

We strive to provide a welcoming, engaging and meaningful experience for all of our volunteers. In this key leadership position, you’ll work closely with your fellow YAG Representatives, your regional Activism Leadership Committee, the Movement Team, and with our awesome Youth Members, activists and partners on the ground. You’ll pick up valuable skills and experiences in youth empowerment, strategic advisory and youth leadership. You'll gain incredible insights into working in an international human rights organisation to empower and support young people to contribute towards positive change for human rights. You'll be provided with an extensive onboarding and induction course within your first few months as a YAG Representative and ongoing training and upskilling opportunities along the way, as well as mentoring and support from staff and activists.

To learn more about this role, please view the detailed Position Description. If this role sounds like you please click the "Apply Now" button below. You must answer the following selection criteria and attach your CV as part of your application.

Selection Criteria

• Please tell us why you’re passionate about youth empowerment and human rights, and if you’ve had any previous experiences promoting youth engagement within the broader community.
• Please tell us about a time in which you’ve used your time management and communications skills when working as part of an effective team.

We will be reviewing applicants on a rolling basis and so encourage you to apply ASAP. If you have any questions about this role, feel free to get in touch with our Youth Engagement & Membership Coordinator, Tahlia, at [email protected] using the subject line: Youth Advisory Group Representative (Voluntary Position) enquiry via EthicalJobs. Please note, applicants must be available for an interview that will be conducted between Wed 9th August to Fri 18th August. 

This opportunity within Amnesty International Australia is on a volunteer and unpaid basis. There is no intention to enter into an employment or legal relationship by either party in fulfilment of the duties as specified in this position description. By applying for this opportunity you agree to the above.

Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing at Amnesty

We are committed to becoming a diverse, inclusive, safe and anti-racist movement where people thrive. We want to build a movement that is representative of the communities that we work alongside and genuinely values unique expertise and experience.

At Amnesty, diversity is about all the differences that exist between people in relation to their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity, age, caring responsibilities, cultural background, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background. Diversity also recognises the ways that people are different in other respects such as family composition, educational level, geographical location, class, financial status, professional and work experiences, and organisational role.

We strongly encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply, and specifically people who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and people from cultural and linguistic diverse backgrounds.

Accessibility: AIA is committed to making reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability or other access needs during the different stages of the recruitment process. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made at any stage of the recruitment process, please email us at [email protected].

Wellbeing: We are committed to the health and wellbeing of our movement so that we can be more effective in defending human rights. The mental health and wellbeing of Amnesty staff, volunteers and activists is a key factor in determining the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of our movement.

Learn more about Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing

For more information on our diversity, inclusion and wellbeing commitments, please see the following on our website:

Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Action Plan

Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan

Anti Racism Statement

About Us

Amnesty International Australia is one of Australia’s largest not-for-profit organisations. We are an independent, global movement that campaigns courageously for human rights for everyone.

We’re ordinary people from all walks of life, standing together for justice, freedom, human dignity and equality. We use our passion and commitment to bring torturers to justice, change oppressive laws and free people imprisoned just for voicing their opinion.

We’re independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion to ensure we can speak out on human rights abuses wherever they occur. Every day we move closer to a world where human rights are enjoyed by all.

A position description is attached.