Being politically active is the focus of Jocelyn Dracakis' whole life, the 20-year-old says. "I invest a lot of time and energy into it; I find it so rewarding."
As the women's officer on the University of NSW Student Representative Council, Ms Dracakis was instrumental in achieving affirmative action for the SRC board this year. But she is equally proud when she links one person to a service which leaves them better off.
![Jocelyn Dracakis, women's officer on the University of NSW Student Representative Council in Kingsford on Friday.](/web/20160801062858im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/h/6/2/5/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gqgdvn.png/1469909622909.jpg)
"I think all the little things add up to a lot," Ms Dracakis says.
"[Political activism] is about changing attitudes and changing the culture in the long term, but it's also about empowering individuals."
![Dracakis is one of many young people finding their political voice.](/web/20160801062858im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/h/6/2/8/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gqgdvn.png/1469909622909.jpg)
Ms Dracakis is part of the growing breed of young people getting involved in politics. The proportion of youth who are politically active has surged in the last decade, according to the first Australian Youth Development Index.
The Commonwealth-funded project tracks the education, health and wellbeing, employment, political participation and civic participation of Australians aged 10 to 29.
Youth Action chief executive Katie Acheson, a member of the index expert panel, said there had been a resurgence of social consciousness among millennials.
"They might be taking selfies but they're also signing petitions to change things for more people than just themselves," Ms Acheson said. "They're very politically engaged and they're acting out their voice a lot more."
Ms Acheson said the lack of a federal government focus on young people and their concerns had prompted more youth to become politically active. "Young people are saying 'No one else is talking about me or my issues, so what can we do?'"
The Youth Development Index found those in the ACT were doing best, followed by those in NSW, then Victoria. Young people living in rural areas tended to lag their urban peers.
Ms Acheson said the report highlighted where young people were doing well, and where governments were failing them. "This report should be a catalyst for a conversation we've been delaying for a while – what is happening to Australian young people, what do we need to do to make sure they have everything they possibly need to embrace their lives and capabilities."
The index revealed that the overall health of young Australians has significantly deteriorated, due to increased drug taking, suicide rates and sexually transmitted infections. It is the only area in which youth are going backwards.
Drug use has nearly doubled, from 21 per cent of youth in 2010 to 39 per cent in 2015. Sexually transmitted infections have soared 60 per cent since 2006, with cases of chlamydia rising from 549 to 878 cases per 100,000 people.
The report authors said this increase was "bewildering" and young people needed to be "shocked" into understanding the consequences of their risk taking. "This level of risk-taking behaviour amongst young people is clearly ill-informed and for young women in particular will have serious consequences if their sexual health goes unchecked."
While the national youth suicide average has remained fairly stable, it has increased in Queensland where 40 out of every 100,000 young people take their own lives. The report identified a link between increased drug use and increase youth suicide, especially in Tasmania and Queensland.
Young people in the Northern Territory are the worst off. Youth unemployment has doubled, while literacy and numeracy rates are the lowest in the country. Less than half of NT youth who are eligible to vote have enrolled to do so. However, the NT is the only place to have improved the health and wellbeing of its young people, with a decline in assault and suicide rates.