Why would anyone join a youth advisory group on climate change?

In 2023, the Office for Youth created a youth advisory group on Climate Change and COP28, alongside four others on various topics. A group of nine young people from around Australia was formed, but disbanded abruptly when the office announced its 2024 youth advisory groups, leaving climate change off the board entirely. Now, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has opened applications for its own youth advisory council, another mechanism theoretically designed to ensure that the voices of young people are reflected in government policy. 

But why would any young person who is serious about achieving meaningful action sign up? Youth advisory groups are exactly what the name suggests — advisory.