Today’s post is written by Aiden and Zach with Sharon Bessell and Cadhla O’Sullivan from the Children’s Policy Centre, at the Australian National University. A part of the Children’s Policy Centre’s work is to contribute to strong and supportive communities for children and young people. Aiden and Zach are both aged 13 and have contributed their expertise to thinking about what communities can do to support children and young people.

Their important messages include that we can never know for sure what’s going on in a person’s life until we make the effort to understand them and their cirumstances, and also how much kids can value having adults in a variety of roles to talk to - both at school and beyond.