Date published: 9 April 2026
The Queensland Family and Child Commission (the Commission) Youth Summit returns tomorrow for its third year, providing a platform for young people to voice their views about topics that matter to them.
Thirty young Queenslanders aged 12 to 24 years will take to the stage in Brisbane this week to speak directly with a sold-out auditorium of government and community leaders and decision-makers.
Their topics include youth mental health, growing up in care, educational inequity, navigating adolescent cancer, homelessness, social media ban, greater access to sporting opportunities, culture and identity, living with invisible illness, victim-survivors in domestic violence reform, and more.
Marking the start of Queensland Youth Week 2026 (11–19 April), the Youth Summit amplifies the voices and views of young Queenslanders and provides a platform for them to pitch their ideas for change.
Last year’s summit was recognised with a 2025 Queensland Child Protection Week Award and resulted in incredible outcomes for the young speakers: Caroline, Nel and Kynesha met with Commissioner Paul Anastassiou KC as part of the Child Safety Commission of Inquiry; Ash wrote a formal submission to the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council; Lily co-designed an insights paper with the Commission titled Changing the system, not the student: Reframing education to better support neurodivergent students using the social model of disability; and Caleb has crafted his deeply personal autobiography — a powerful reflection of his journey growing up in out-of-home care. These are only a few examples.
The 2026 Youth Summit will be held at the Emporium Hotel at South Brisbane on Friday 10 April 2026, 9am to 3pm. To view the speakers and their topics, visit www.qfcc.qld.gov.au/children-and-families/youth/summit/2026.
Quotes attributable to Queensland Family and Child Commission Principal Commissioner Luke Twyford:
- “Today’s conversation about the topics that affect young people are so often driven by adults, yet we rarely hear from the children and young people themselves.
- “Young people’s experiences of the world are so different from adults—they are growing up in a different time, with different influences, and with different opportunities and challenges.
- “If we want to make better decisions for our communities, we need to seek out young people’s perspectives, consider their lived experiences, ask them what they think, and—most importantly—act on what they say.
- “The Youth Summit is our flagship event to hear from young people across Queensland—it connects young Queenslanders with decision-makers and provides a platform to influence change."
For media information contact:
Kate Marsh | Queensland Family and Child Commission
Phone: 07 3900 6011
Email: media@qfcc.qld.gov.au