Young people pitch ideas to make regional Australia even better

Members of the public are invited to Parliament House Theatre in Canberra at 11am on Thursday 12 January to see inspiring young people discuss ways to improve the lives of young people in regional Australia.

The Heywire Summit Ideas Launch will see 40 young people from across Australia pitch their ideas on how to make positive changes in their communities, to a panel featuring Headspace CEO Chris Tanti, Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal CEO Alexandra Gartmann and 2009 Heywire alumni Amy Rhodes.

The Ideas Launch is a key part of the week-long Heywire Summit—an ABC initiative supported by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development and hosted in the nation's capital.

Kicking off today, the Summit will see participants debate and workshop issues with industry and ABC mentors, brunch with politicians, tour the Australian War Memorial, learn leadership skills and attend a reception in their honour at Parliament House.

The participants were selected among young Australians aged between 16 and 22 from outside the country's major cities who entered Heywire by sharing short stories about life in regional Australia in video, audio or text format.

The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) will offer $10,000 grants to fund the implementation of ideas developed during the week long Heywire Summit. FRRR is a not-for-profit organisation where government, business and philanthropy work together to improve the lives of people living in rural, regional and remote Australia.

The Foundation, which is supported by a board that includes Infrastructure Secretary Mike Mrdak, works closely with communities to develop and implement positive change.

The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development supports the Heywire initiative, alongside the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Health, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Environment, and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

The Department's support for the initiative recognises the portfolio's role in regional development and its contribution to planning, economic development, sustainability, community development, economic regulation, safety and investment.

Thursday's Ideas Launch is a public event and no preregistration is required in order to attend.

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