No. 129, May 2007: Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies

The National Youth Affairs conference in early May, organised by the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, in collaboration with Australia's non-government youth peak organisations, was a well-organised and successful event, with almost 900 people walking through its doors during the three days of the conference. There was a wide variety of choice in both the range of topics and the level of presentation on offer, from the academic papers to workshopped sessions, with a strong focus on the issue of youth participation in all its flavours, and on youth mental health as a continuing issue of national concern. Due to the fact that almost a decade had elapsed since the last conference, there was so much ground to cover that individual presenters were hard-pressed for time, but while this might have been frustrating for presenters, it served to keep interest keen and provoke curiosity, and the issues presented formally by delegates were often continued in conversations in the conference foyer. The conference would seem to have been an energising catalyst for youth researchers and youth workers alike. It will be interesting to see what flows from the event.

The peer reviewed papers presented at the conference will be published in the proceedings of the conference, which are to be published by the Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies in July. A taste of what's to come in the proceedings will be in the June edition of 'Youth Studies Australia'.

Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies news

ACYS, the publisher of this newsletter, serves the youth field primarily through its flagship publication, Youth Studies Australia -- yet it seems that there are many readers of this newsletter are not familiar with the journal, which aims to bridge research and practice and to span a wide range of issues. Please do visit our website, and take a peek at the journal's contents pages. All subscribers receive the hard copy edition of the journal, and are also eligible for access to online full text (March 2006 onwards online from the ACYS website) Online access for issues dated 2001 onwards is available if you subscribe via the Informit subscription service, which is recommended for large organisational subscribers and university libraries. All details are on our website, at: http://www.acys.info/journal

ARTS, MUSIC

NSW arts grant for youth

Young people in the Marrickville, Canterbury, Canada Bay, Ashfield, Strathfield, Leichhardt, Burwood councils boundaries of NSW can now apply for a grant for innovative arts projects. The ArtStart Small Grants program 2007 is open for youth aged 12 to 24 through local non-profit youth and community groups, schools and organisations (whether existing or newly formed), which fall into the boundaries of the Metropolitan Central region. Projects may include writing for film and TV, multimedia, drama and set building, visual art, performance art, circus skills, fire-breathing, mural design legal graffiti, Hip-Hop and production. Artstart will culminate in a state-wide festival in November. See: http://www.artstart.com.au (Source: Warwick Clarke, email: wclarke[AT]mtcwork.com.au)

AT RISK

Youth At Risk Alliance conference

The early bird discounts apply until 1 June for the conference: 'Effective Responses to Youth at Risk', the inaugural international conference of the Youth At Risk Alliance, to be held at Crowne Plaza Royal Pines, Gold Coast on 2-3 August 2007. Speakers' presentations will revolve around five key themes:

* Health and youth suicide: popular culture, substance misuse and the media.

* Education: the interface with mental health.

* Crime and policing.

* Child protection: from early intervention to child death reviews.

* Housing, systemic poverty and disadvantage.

The conference will include all sectors that have an impact on youth wellbeing and aims to expose workers to the latest research, to showcase initiatives and promote awareness and the exchange of ideas. For more information, see: http://www.yara.org.au/index.php

ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS, SURVEYS

Newspoll survey: What young people are thinking

The new-look Dusseldorp Skills Forum website features their report, 'What young people are thinking', survey of some 800 18- to 24-year-olds conducted by Newspoll. DSF commissioned the survey to provide insights into the study and work attitudes, opinions and experiences of young Australians. The survey found that 95 per cent of those surveyed were generally satisfied with their lives and 88 per cent were confident about the future. DSF comments that the survey also points to 'several fault lines, in our view, suggesting areas in need for greater policy attention'. There's the negative impact of early school leaving, with only 42 per cent of early school leavers surveyed being engaged in full-time work or study, as opposed to 69 per cent of people who'd finished Year 12 being so engaged. Results also confirm previous research suggesting that young adults engaged in full-time study are more satisfied with their study experiences than those who are part-time students. The report is at:
http://www.dsf.org.au/papers/195.htm (Sources: DSF website, viewed 16 May 2007, and 'The Australian', 2/5/07, p.36; 'The Age', 2/5/07, p.6.)

6th Annual Survey of Young Australians

Reminder: 29 June 2007 is the closing date for Mission Australia's 6th Annual Survey of Young Australians (aged 11 to 24 years). See:
http://www.missionaustralia.com.au/youthsurvey, or contact Kathryn Di Nicola, ph (02) 9219 2022 for copies to be sent to you.

BULLYING

National rollout of bullying prevention program

ACER Press has won the tender for the commercialisation rights to the 'Friendly Schools and Families Bullying Prevention Program'. This evidence-based, whole-school approach to bullying reduction was developed by Dr Donna Cross and Dr Erin Erceg from Edith Cowan University and is used extensively in Western Australia. For more information about the program, its accompanying resources, professional development opportunities and survey services visit the Friendly Schools and Families website:
http://www.friendlyschools.com.au (Source: 'Research Developments' (ACER newsletter), n.16, summer 2006, p.18.)

CRIME AND JUSTICE

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released the report, 'Juvenile justice in Australia 2004-05' a short while ago (AIHW series, Juvenile Justice 2, ISSN 1833-3230; ISBN-13 978 1 74024 661 3; AIHW cat. no. JUV 2; 132 pp.). Developed by the AIHW and the Australasian Juvenile Justice Administrators, it provides data from the Juvenile Justice national minimum data set, which includes information on all Australian young people in juvenile justice supervision, both in the community and in detention. Unlike other criminal justice collections that focus on legal orders, this report is based on the experience of the young person within supervision. Besides presenting data for 2004-05, it analyses of trends in community-based supervision and detention over the five years since 2000-01. It includes data on the characteristics of the young people under supervision such as age, sex and Indigenous status, and their patterns of supervision. For more details about its price and availability, see the AIHW website at:
http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10363

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ISSUES

Drug Action Week is coming up once again: 18-22 June 2007

See: http://www.drugactionweek.org.au and for a media kit go to:
http://www.adf.org.au/store/

These sites suggest innovative ways to organise and promote local events relevant to issues relating to the reduction of drug and alcohol-related harms. More information can also be obtained by phoning (02) 6281 0686.

Injecting drug users and Hep C

The April 2007 issue of 'Of Substance', a national magazine on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, contains an article on improving access for injecting drug users to treatment in relation to Hepatitis C, as this group are currently at the greatest risk of contracting the virus, yet their rate of treatment uptake is very low. The article is the first of a two-part series and discusses the need for integrating Hepatitis C treatment services into alcohol and other drug agencies as well as other primary health care settings. 'Of Substance' is available free of charge, and the editor also invites feedback from readers on topics raised, in the form of letters of up to 150 words, addressed to: editor[AT]ancd.org.au for possible inclusion in a forthcoming issue. Contact details: The editor, Of Substance, ph: (02) 9280 3240; fax: (02) 9281 7297; email: anton[AT]ancd.org.au,
http://www.ofsubstance.org.au

A guide for parents

The Australian Drug Foundation has recently updated 'Alcohol and other drugs: A guide for parents'. This booklet is part of the ADF's 'Drugs in focus' series and provides a strong grounding for parents to talk with their children about alcohol and other drugs. Using photographs, the booklet gives information about the most commonly used legal and illegal drugs. A single free copy of the booklet is available to all Australian-based DrugInfo Clearinghouse members. To request a free copy, send your name, organisation and postal address via email to: druginfo[AT]adf.org.au, or phone 1300 85 85 84. If you require more than one copy, use the ADF resource catalogue or see:
http://www.bookshop.adf.org.au

More drug-related initiatives

The Australian Government's funding for new grants aimed at preventing and reducing illicit drug use by young people was announced in April, and the successful organisations are listed at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-illicit-cpilist5

The DrugInfo Clearinghouse recently released an overview of all the strategies aimed at reducing drug-related harm. See:
http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au

EDUCATION

Rocking our world through technology

Rock Our World is an international project that uses technology to bring together school students from across the world to work on collaborative projects. These projects involve communication through music, movies and video conferences. Peter Lelong, a computing teacher at Fahan School for Girls in Hobart, Tasmania, said that Rock Our World has provided valuable opportunities for his students to 'explore the use of audio and video technologies'. This year, NASA is sponsoring a project with a solar energy theme. For more information about Rock Our World, visit http://www.rockourworld.org (Source: 'Education Review', v.16, n.9, 2007, p.16.)

Initiatives in boys' education

The March 2007 edition of 'The Boys in Schools Bulletin', published by the Boys in Schools Program at the University of Newcastle's Family Action Centre, highlights a number of boys' education initiatives being used in schools around Australia. These include:

* The implementation of a future-oriented curriculum at a coeducational high school in Tasmania. While this curriculum is used with all students at the school, it has proven particularly effective in re-engaging boys with both social and academic aspects of education. This curriculum is broken into two components: 'Kitbag', where students learn basic skills such as literacy, numeracy and social responsibility, and 'Personal Choices', where students choose from a range of subjects on offer. This component of the curriculum involves welfare and work-centred programs. Students are also offered one-on-one literacy and numeracy support programs and individual education plans. The flexibility and degree of choice offered within the curriculum has proven successful in increasing commitment to school among at-risk students and school 'refusers'. (Source: 'The Boys in Schools Bulletin', v.10, n.1, p.47.)

* The Teaming with Boys project, implemented by a cluster of schools on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. This project used the Rock and Water personal development program in conjunction with a three-day wilderness experience to investigate the combined impact of these activities on participants' social and educational achievement. Around 50 male middle school students took part in the program. An evaluation of the program found that it had a positive impact on participants, leading to improved social outcomes, attendance, behaviour, literacy and numeracy. (Source: 'The Boys in Schools Bulletin', v.10, n.1, pp.36-42.)

Postgraduate program in boys' education

The University of Newcastle offers practising teachers the opportunity to complete Graduate Certificates and Masters programs specialising in boys' education. Programs are relevant to teachers educating boys in primary, secondary, single-sex or co-educational school settings. For further information, visit the University of Newcastle's website: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/ or contact Michelle Gifford: ph: (02) 4921 8739; email: Michelle.Gifford[AT]Newcastle.edu.au (Source: 'The Boys in Schools Bulletin', v.10, n.1, p.47.)

'Completing university: Characteristics and outcomes of completing and non-completing students', LSAY Research Report n.51 by Gary N. Marks, March 2007, Australian Council for Educational Research

This is the latest report in the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) series, jointly managed by ACER and the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The study analysed the characteristics of students who fail to complete university courses, investigating attrition rates from university courses, background factors that may influence attrition and the labour market consequences of non-completion. Data were collected from a group of young Australians who commenced university study between 1998 and 2001. Their education, training and labour market activities were tracked up until 2004 when they were around 23 years of age. Results indicated that whether or not a student attended a government or independent school and their socioeconomic background made little difference to the odds of completing their course. The strongest influence on course completion was the Tertiary Entrance or ENTER score gained in Year 12. About 90 per cent of students with ENTER scores above 90 completed a university course compared to 73 per cent of students with scores between 60 and 69. A difference of 20 points in ENTER score was found to more than double the odds of course completion. The study also documented the activities of non-completers up to five years after leaving university. Although they showed very low rates of unemployment, the weekly pay and job status of university non-completers was substantially less than that of university course completers and similar to that of students who had not gone to university or not completed Year 12. The report can be downloaded from the ACER website: http://www.acer.edu.au/research/projects/lsay/research.html (Source: ACER 2007, 'School sector and SES makes little difference to university course completion', media release, 19 April, viewed 14 May 2007, http://www.acer.edu.au/news/documents/LSAY51_190407.pdf)

International perspectives on civic and moral education

The February 2007 edition of the newsletter of the Professional Association of Students Representative Council Teachers/Advisors includes a piece on civic and moral education in Japanese schools. The piece was written by Sandra Scribner, a teacher from Rio Rancho Middle School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who took part in a study tour to Japan in 2005 as part of the Japan Fullbright Memorial Fund. Scribner noted that 'the Japanese strive to educate the whole child by incorporating 'moral' education at the elementary and lower secondary level and 'civic' education at the upper secondary level'. These elements are incorporated across the curriculum. In addition, participation activities, such as student council meetings, are built into the academic schedule. Based on her observations in Japan, Scribner says that 'formal civic instruction needs to be linked to performing community events, thus providing students with meaningful experiences in working on serious matters of public policy'. She says that schools in Western countries can improve their civic and moral education practices by providing students with allocated time to participate in 'activities focused on civic life' and forums for the discussion of current local, national and international events. (Source: 'PASTA News', n.52, February 2007, pp.12-14. This newsletter is distributed as a supplement to 'Connect' magazine.)

EMPLOYMENT

A practical guide to collaboration for youth employment

The Youth Employment Network (YEN) Secretariat and YEN's Youth Consultative Group are jointly producing a new publication, 'Joining forces with young people: A practical guide to collaboration for youth employment. The guide has been designed to facilitate and motivate young peoples' participation in youth employment policymaking. It also provides guidance for other stakeholders, primarily governments, on why they should, and how they could engage youth organisations, demonstrating the added value of youth involvement. A public draft of this guide can be accessed at: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/yen/download/yendraft.pdf

Vocational education and training news

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Australia's principal provider of vocational education and training research and statistics, provides much news and training for the youth sector. The following are among their many forthcoming events:

* Registrations are now open for the NCVER Research Forum, Supporting VET providers in building capacity for the future. This series of forums will be held across Australia between August and September, and will showcase findings from an extensive suite of research on how VET organisations are building capability in an environment of ongoing change. Participants will be given the opportunity to contribute by sharing their personal experiences and insights into enhancing provider capability. For more information and to register, see:
http://www.ncver.edu.au/newsevents/events/capability/forum.html

* The 16th National Vocational Education and Training Research 'No Frills' Conference is a free event organised by NCVER and co-hosted by Charles Darwin University in Alice Springs on 11-13 July. Registration closes on 1 June. Though free, participants must meet their travel and accommodation expenses. The conference aims to bring together a wide range of people involved or interested in education and training research to share and discuss current and recently completed work. Email: june.ingham[AT]ncver.edu.au or see: http://www.ncver.edu.au/newsevents/trconf/trconf16.html

'Third Way' approaches to welfare

The April 2007 edition of 'Brotherhood Comment', the newsletter of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, contains a short piece by BSL research and policy project manager Verity Archer examining the pros and cons of 'Third Way' approaches to welfare. Archer focuses on the Blair Government's New Deal for Young People as an example of this approach. She says that the Blair approach is more effective than the Australian work for the dole program because the former 'focuses on matching young people to the existing labour market through mentoring and vocational training', while the latter 'fails to offer any real opportunities for young people's advancement'. However, Archer says that the British model could be improved through labour market intervention to create employment via subsidised apprenticeships, as occurs in European countries such as Germany, Austria and Denmark, which have the lowest youth unemployment rates among OECD nations. Archer concludes by suggesting that 'perhaps it is time Australia too began to invest in the labour market. With work for the dole proving to be of limited benefit, the time is ripe to invest in creating 'possibilities' for young people, rather than merely redistributing the limited options that already exist'. (Source: 'Brotherhood Comment', April 2007, p.8.)

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Australian Youth Climate Coalition

In November 2006, a group of young people representing 35 youth organisations from around Australia formed the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, a non-partisan group which aims to educate young people about the environmental impacts of climate change and mobilise young people to take action to stop climate change and create a 'clean energy future'. For more information about the group and its campaigns, visit the AYCC website: http://www.youthclimatecoalition.org (Source: Australian Youth Climate Coalition website, viewed 14 May 2007; 'Children Australia', v.32, n.1, 2007, p.2.)

EVENTS

Reminder about the ACYS events calendar

Event organisers are invited to send in their news of youth-related events to our online calendar. See: http://www.acys.info/events

HEALTH

The proceedings of the conference, Young people's health, what's it going to take, held a few months ago in November 2006, are now online. The conference, held in Sydney, was the 5th Australian and New Zealand Adolescent Health conference, and drew a wide spectrum of delegates from the health arena -- paediatricians and GP's, nursing and allied health staff, hospital and community based health workers, youth workers and youth health workers, mental health workers, education and other sector professionals, researchers, academics and policymakers. The proceedings are now online at:
http://www.youthhealth2006.org/
Profile of nutritional status of children and adolescents

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has issued a report by Anne Marie Thow that summarises existing food and nutrition data relating to children and adolescents. It is based on the dietary guidelines for children and adolescents in Australia and incorporates recommendations from the new nutrient reference values. See PDF document at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/phe/potnsocaa/potnsocaa.pdf

HOMELESSNESS

SAAP: Young women and children most likely to access SAAP services

The Supported Accommodation Assistance Program is the major government response to homelessness and statistics on the Program are regularly reported by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

* 'Homeless people in SAAP: SAAP National Data Collection annual report 2005-06', released in May by the AIHW, shows that the majority of those receiving assistance were female. 'In particular, young females aged 15 to 19 years were the most likely group to become a SAAP client' (one in every 57 young women in this age group) and accompanying children aged 0 to 4 years also had a high rate of use (one in every 57 children in this age group). This report provides an overview of assistance given to clients and their accompanying children by the program during the financial year 2005-06, and is accompanied by state and territory supplementary reports. Read about the report at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10419

* 'Homeless SAAP clients with mental health and substance use problems 2004-05' is the sixth thematic report from the SAAP National Data Collection. Research has long shown that mental health and substance use problems are far more prevalent in the homeless population, as evidenced in this report, which provides an overview of the assistance given to these clients by SAAP. For price and availability, see:
http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10347

Measuring 'self-reliance' amongst users of homelessness services: Conceptual and methodological challenges

This is the title of a forthcoming seminar to be presented by Dr Tony Eardley, Prof. Bettina Cass, Dr Ann Dadich and Dr Denise Thompson at the Social Policy Research Centre, University of NSW on 12 June. The SPRC has been commissioned by the SAAP Coordination and Development Committee, through the federal government Department of Families, Communities, and Indigenous Affairs, to design and implement a client survey, building on earlier work by SAAP on the concept of self-reliance in relation to homelessness. The aim is to measure how far receiving SAAP services improves clients' self-reliance. In spite of the important groundwork laid by the earlier studies, developing the survey involved significant conceptual and methodological challenges. The research is still underway and will not be completed until mid-2007, but this presentation discusses the challenges and how they have been resolved, and reflects on the lessons for homelessness research. To attend the seminar, contact Megan Griffiths, ph: (02) 9385 7815 or send an email to megangriffiths[AT]unsw.edu.au before Friday 8 June 2007. (Source:
http://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/seminars/2007s1.htm viewed 17 May 2007.)

Reconnecting Reconnect

Many readers of this newsletter will know of the youth homelessness initiative, Reconnect, which delivers services through more than 100 centres around Australia. For the sake of those new to the youth field, here is some information about this program. It helps youth aged 12 to 18 and their families to build relationships, and helps to link the young people to education, employment and homelessness assistance if reconciliation with their family should happen to fail. The Federal Government announced in late April that it will provide an extra $85 million for the Reconnect program, saying that since the program was established in 1999, over 55,000 young people had been helped, with two thirds of them reporting an improved relationship with their family at the end of their support period with Reconnect. The extra funding will be provided over four years. It was also announced that funding would be extended for the 103 Youthlinx services around Australia that provide support and activities to strengthen family relationships and encourage community involvement. (Sources: Infoxchange, http://www.youth.infoxchange.net.au/news/detail.chtml?filename_num=148447, viewed 10 May 2007; and media release dated 23 April 2007 at: http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/Minister5.nsf/content/reconnect_23apr07.htm)

Update on the 2007 National Youth Commission inquiry into youth homelessness

This independent inquiry, funded by the Caledonia Foundation, will gather evidence on the issue of youth homelessness and seeks input on the reforms and actions that need to be taken to prevent and ameliorate homelessness for young Australians. The NYC website is http://www.nyc.net.au or contact: Yee Man Louie, Manager Youth Development Australia, 420 Victoria Street Brunswick Victoria 3056, ph: (03) 9940 1572; fax: (03) 9381 0700.

INCOMES AND EXPENDITURES

2007 Commonwealth Bank Foundation Financial Literacy Grants program

All Australian secondary schools are eligible to apply for these grants, which have been developed in consultation with the Government, Catholic and Independent school sectors. Application details for the 2007 program will be made available in June, and the grants will open in July. There will be 100 grants of $3,500 each to help develop the financial literacy skills of students in Years 7 to 12. The program aims to provide schools with opportunities to develop student programs that create awareness, skill and understanding in financial literacy. See: http://www.commbank.com.au/financialliteracygrants/

INDIGENOUS YOUTH

A voice for indigenous youth at the United Nations

The email newsletter, 'UN Youth Flash' is a service of the United Nations Programme on Youth. Among the snippets of news in its latest issue is an interview Elsa Stamatopoulou, Director of the Secretariat of the IM Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). Indigenous children and youth has been one of UNPFII's main areas of work since its inception and was the special theme of the forum's second session in 2003. For an overview of its key recommendations on Indigenous youth issues, see: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/pfii

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

* It's almost National youth week in New Zealand -- see: http://www.youthweek.co.nz/

International Youth Day takes place on 12 August 2007 and its theme is, 'Be seen, be heard: Youth participation for development'. More at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyouthday.htm

Young Adult Trust launched in Britain

In October 2006, the British youth sector launched a new independent charity called the Young Adult Trust. The YAT will specialise in providing a personal development program to assist young people to 'explore the transition to adulthood'. YAT chief executive Paul Oginsky said that he hopes that the YAT can bring together expertise from organisations in the youth sector who currently provide personal development programs to create a ten-day program 'that provides a real social mix for young people and creates a focused debate on the transition to adulthood to increase awareness of its importance in our society'. The YAT is currently running pilot schemes to develop its program. For further information, contact the Young Adult Trust: email: info[AT]youngadulttrust.co.uk; website: http://www.youngadulttrust.co.uk/ (Source: 'The Edge', newspaper of the National Youth Agency (Britain), n.15, autumn 2006, p.6.)

Young adults with complex needs

In November 2006, the Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) hosted the sixth annual Social Policy Research Workshop in Canberra. Among the presentations was one on findings from a 2005 research project into transitions to adulthood experienced by young people with complex needs. The findings of this research, conducted by the Social Exclusion Unit of the UK Prime Minister's Cabinet Office, were presented by Alun Hughes, a senior advisor from the UK Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. The project aimed to identify the problems faced by young people during their transition to adulthood and how services can effectively meet the needs of young people aged 16–25 years who have complex needs. Findings noted how young people's attitudes and behaviours could work to either compound or help them overcome their disadvantages, and it noted the lack of age-appropriate services for people in this age group and the benefits of holistic services for young people with multiple problems. Hughes also delivered a presentation on this research project at the 5th Australian and New Zealand Adolescent Health Conference, held in Sydney last November. His presentation can be viewed on the conference website: http://www.youthhealth2006.org/papers/paper_58.pdf The full report ('Transitions: Young adults with complex needs') can be downloaded from the British Government's Social Exclusion Unit website:
http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/seu/publications012d.html?did=785

(Source: 'FaCSIA Research News', n.27, December 2006, pp.14-15.)

MEDIA

The schools program for Little Big Shots returns for its third year to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) at Federation Square in Melbourne from Wednesday June 6 to Friday June 8, 2007.

Little Big Shots is Australia's major international film festival for the younger end of the youth sector. This year the festival includes over 90 films from 25 countries, making it 'one of the most enjoyable ways for students to tour the globe'. The festival 'entertains and educates, inspiring awareness and promoting cultural understanding and respect for a wide diversity of values, giving kids the gifts of curiosity, inspiration, imagination and tolerance'. Six school sessions screen daily and are tailored for primary and secondary school students aged 5 to 15 with options to see an array of shorts, animations and documentaries and/or feature films, and to tune in to discussions about films from all around the world. For session details, see: http://www.littlebigshots.com.au/ (Source: Marcella Bidinost, Festival Director, ph: (03) 9697 9411, email: marcella[AT]littlebigshots.com.au

MENTAL HEALTH

'Mental health services in Australia 2004-05'

This is the eighth in a series of comprehensive annual reports from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on the characteristics and activity of Australia's mental health services. This report's a useful resource for health planners, policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers and others with an interest in mental health in Australia because, unlike previous reports in this series, it's been restructured to make its information more accessible, as well as relevant, to decision-making and policy. 'Moreover, a more complete picture of mental health services and resources in Australia is provided. For example, mental health services provided by emergency departments and information on the psychologist workforce are included for the first time. Another new feature is the inclusion of summary tables that present, in one place, information on the topics covered in this report for each state and territory, as well as for Australia as a whole.' For more details about its price and availability, see the AIHW website at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10381

MySpace and Reachout work together

Following the suicides of two teenagers in Melbourne, MySpace is to fast-track a new partnership with the Inspire Foundation's ReachOut website, Australia's renowned youth mental health support service. The MySpace website now runs banner ads for ReachOut.
(Source: ABC news online, 30 April 2007, http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1910276.htm, viewed 17 May 2007.)

Evaluation of headspace

Tenders are invited for the independent evaluation of headspace: the National Youth Mental Health Foundation. Contact Peter Orchard at headspace, ph: (03) 8346 8213.

Unpacking the suitcase: conference on newly-arrived young people's wellbeing

This is a two-day conference on maintaining the wellbeing of newly-arrived young people, to be held in Melbourne on 12 July 2007. It is being organised by the South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre, Dandenong, and will explore the importance of wellbeing and its effect on refugee and culturally and linguistically diverse young people's settlement. Contact Nancy Badr, South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre, Level 1 314 Thomas Street, Dandenong 3175; ph: (03) 9706 8933; fax: (03) 9706 8830 or visit: http://www.sermrc.org.au/

Mood disorders

In April, the Black Dog Institute published a handy fact sheet of 'Facts and figures on mental health and mood disorders' which includes some statistical information relating to youth drawn from various studies. See:
http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/factsheets/documents/FactsandFiguresfactsheet.pdf

MENTORING

Attention those who mentor youth with mental health problems

The deadline for applications from service providers for the Personal Helpers and Mentors Program is 1 June 2007. The Personal Helpers and Mentors Program Round 2 is a federal government program that aims provide increased opportunities for recovery for people who have a severe functional limitation resulting from a severe mental illness. 'The Program will take a strengths-based, recovery approach to supporting people with mental illness' and 'will assist people aged 16 years and over whose ability to manage their daily activities and to live independently in the community is impacted because of a severe functional limitation resulting from a severe mental illness'. Following nominations from each of the Council of Australian Governments State and Territory Mental Health Implementation Groups on the location of the sites, the program will be operational from September 2007 and delivered through the non-government sector. More information, including an FAQ, and an application pack and all relevant forms, are at:
http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/mentalhealth/personal_helpers.htm

MOVEMENTS, CHANGES, MILESTONES

Infoxchange is often quoted as a source in this newsletter, and readers will be interested to know that its founder and Infoxchange executive director, Andrew Mahar, has been recognised as one of 'The Bulletin' magazine's 'Smart 100'. See: http://www.youth.infoxchange.net.au/news/detail.chtml?filename_num=149274

Streetwize Communications announced at the National Youth Affairs Conference, 'Are we there yet' in early May, that it is to close. After 23 years of providing resources for youth workers on issues like discrimination, employment and health, disseminated through comics that were underpinned by research, their resources were targeted at groups who experience difficulty in accessing mainstream sources of information. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission worked with Streetwize on a number of important consumer education projects, and an ASIC spokesperson paid tribute to Streetwize in words many others will concur with: 'We've found them invaluable in getting messages across in a creative and innovative way, which is critical with audiences that are traditionally hard to reach. We thank Streetwize for all their work, professionalism and great ideas'. If you're fast you can obtain Streetwize publications through its database or partner organisations listed at:
http://www.streetwize.com.au or contact orders[AT]streetwize.com.au

'Children Australia' has launched a new cover design with its first issue for 2007 (v.32, n.1). Editor Jennifer Lehmann says that the production team is also endeavouring to expand the journal's contents. This expansion includes a new 'States and Territories Update' section which, in this edition, notes the release of an 'exposure draft' of the Children and Young People Bill 2007 (ACT) and the release of the paper, 'Statutory child protection in NSW: Issues and options for reform', by the NSW Department of Community Services. (Source: 'Children Australia', v.32, n.1, 2007, pp.3, 6.)

PARTICIPATION

A fact sheet on the new 'Close of Rolls' arrangements has been published by the Australian Electoral Commission recently -- see:
http://www.aec.gov.au/_content/What/enrolment/cor_factsheet.htm There will no longer be a full week to enrol after the federal election is called, and the deadlines for enrolling for young people, those who have changed addresses and those who need to re-enrol are now short. The actual PDF is at:
http://www.aec.gov.au/_content/What/enrolment/cor_factsheet.pdf

PROGRAMS, PROJECTS:

Expressions of interest for the 'What Works Australia' series of case studies from the youth sector'

As described in an earlier edition of this newsletter, this series will comprise three publications showcasing successful programs and projects in Australia in the form of case studies from the youth sector, profiling good practice. Following a survey of the sector, the themes for the 'What Works Australia' series have been chosen, and now the Foundation for Young Australians and the Youth Research Centre, who are working together to create the series, ask for your attention to this EoI. They seek Expressions of Interest from projects or services that are interested in being 'case studied' for inclusion in the series. They want to hear from interest from projects and services around Australia that are active in one of the following areas: * Partnerships in the youth sector (closing date for expressions of interest: 7 June) * Young people getting active in the community (closing date: 7 July) * Engaging disadvantaged and marginalised young people (closing date: 7 July) For Expressions of interest or Inquiries about this project, contact Fiona Taylor (Research Fellow), Youth Research Centre, Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010; email: taylorf[AT]unimelb.edu.au, ph: (03) 8344 9640 Fax: (03) 8344 9632.

RURAL YOUTH

New initiative targets young people, women and Indigenous participation

A new Rural Leadership Development initiative was announced by the federal government in its recent Budget. The Advancing Agricultural Industries Programme will build on the significant contribution that young people, women and Indigenous people make to the future of Australia's rural industries by helping to develop the leadership skills and the potential of rural industries. For details of opportunities regarding young people, contact the Young Australian Rural Network, at:
http://www.yarn.gov.au/

SAFETY

Youth Declaration for Road Safety

Young people from more than 100 countries adopted this declaration at the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week, organised by the World Health Organization in Geneva in April (http://www.who.int/roadsafety/week/en/ ). The delegates committed themselves to taking practical measures to improve road safety in their countries, and called on parents and leaders to play their part too. See:
http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/youth_roadsafety/en/index.html (Source: 'UN Youth Flash' (v.4, n.3, May 2007.)

SEXUAL HEALTH

WHO: Preventing HIV in young people: Steady, ready, go!

The latest 'UN Youth Flash' (v.4, n.3, May 2007), reports that this WHO resource 'is a ground-breaking comparative review that presents the effectiveness of different HIV prevention interventions for young people in developing countries'. The review provides urgently-needed guidance for policy makers on what works best in preventing HIV infection in young people, so that limited available resources can target the most effective interventions. The review, which took two years to complete, involved the development of a new standardised methodology to evaluate more than 80 studies on HIV prevention interventions in developing countries, enabling each to be evaluated on a level playing field. The review was carried out under the auspices of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on HIV/AIDS and Young People, in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.' See:
http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/publications/ADH/IB_SRG.htm or email chandramouliv[AT]who.int

Family Planning Queensland and sexual health information

The FPQ, in collaboration with Queensland Health, is currently offering training in the area of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and sexual health promotion with young people. See: http://www.fpq.com.au/youthproject/

The FPQ has recently issued a fact sheet on sexual behaviours called 'Traffic Lights' as a resource for parents, carers, teachers and youth workers who might be concerned about the sexual behaviour of some of the young people whom they seek to help. The fact sheet uses a 'Traffic Lights' model for responding to sexual behaviours. Cost: $7 per packet of 20. Contact V. Wynter, Communications Officer, Family Planning Queensland, ph: (07) 3250 0222; fax: (07) 3250 0292. An online version is at:
http://www.fpq.com.au/factsheets_brochures/Fs_Sexual_Behaviours.stm

HOT resources

The Health educator at the Youth Accommodation Association's HOT project has drawn our attention to the resource they sell, called, the HOT game. It's a 'trivial pursuit' style board game that deals with issues such as sexually transmitted infections, contraception, handling pressure situations, party drugs, and more. The resource costs $111. For details, contact the YAA ph: (02) 9698 5833, or email: althea[AT]yaa.com.au

Here at ACYS, we have updated our TOPICS page on sexual health, at:
http://acys.info/resources/topics/health/hiv_aids_and_stds
Please tell us if you know of more to list there: at present the resources it cites are:

* Your sex health is a website about reproductive and sexual health that uses a combination of story and fact to help the site visitor to see the impact of decisions about sexual and reproductive health. The site was developed and produced by a team of Australian researchers, writers, designers and programmers working with, and for, the University of Melbourne. See: http://www.yoursexhealth.org/

* Sexual health text messaging service – sextxt™ is a service that provides education for 16- to 25-year-old Australians on the importance of safer sex and helps address the increasing incidence of sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV/AIDS in Australia. The sextxt™ service offers advice that is relevant to both heterosexual and homosexual youth via mobile phone. By texting sexinfo to 19SEXTXT (19739898) users will receive a reply within seconds with 10 options for automated assistance on sexual health issues. The sextxt™ service costs 55 cents per SMS message and the initiative is a not-for-profit service. Launched in 2007 during National Youth Week by Marie Stopes International, a leading Australian sexual and reproductive healthcare organisation, the service also provides information and advice on issues relating specifically to chlamydia and HIV/AIDS. See: http://www.sextxt.org.au/

* likeitis.org (http://www.likeitis.org/) is a sexual health website for teenaged youth, developed by Marie Stopes International. It provides non-judgmental sexual health information.

* Marie Stopes International is a global partnership that provides sexual and reproductive health information and services across 38 countries, and in Australia the service operates a number of reproductive health centres (in the ACT, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia). See: http://www.mariestopes.com.au

* What is this Hep C thing? Is an educational resource for secondary students on Hepatitis C prevention developed in response to an awareness that large numbers of young Victorians exhibit a lack of knowledge about the Hepatitis C virus. See: http://www.accessinfo.org.au/

* The SexEdco website has a list of sexual health centres in major centres, at: http://www.sexedco.com/

* The Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health National Survey has been carried out every 5 years since 1992; it will be funded for 2007, according to a recent article in 'Exchange online', a service of the NSW Commission for Children and Young People at: http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/

* Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia is a national federation of eight independent state and territory sexual health and family planning organisations. SH&FPA is also responsible for an international program which contributes to sexual and reproductive health in the Asia Pacific Region. See: http://www.fpa.net.au/

* The 'Young People and Relationships' Project is a University of Melbourne PhD research study which aims to inform sexuality education, and the prevention of sexual pressure and coercion in relationships. See: http://www.criminology.unimelb.edu.au/research/yprp/

UNITED NATIONS NEWS

The Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations General Assembly

has been announced: details at: http://www.unya.asn.au/youthrep/

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

ACCESS is the new youth network of the Victorian branch of the Australian Institute of International Affairs -- Australia's non-government institution dealing with all aspects of Australia's foreign relations and international affairs. Operating as an extension of the AIIA, ACCESS specifically caters for the needs of the younger generations, aiming to make AIIA more accessible to younger people, and to provide them with an informal forum to encourage and facilitate objective debate on international affairs, foster networking and promote professional skill development. ACCESS is 'a hybrid between a professional association and a social club' and 'fuses social and professional objectives of the growing number of students and young professionals in their 20s and 30s seeking international careers'. More at: http://www.aiiavic.org.au/access.htm

YOUTH SERVICES

Barriers to service delivery for young pregnant women and mothers

This report from the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (NYARS), by Deborah Loxton, Jenny Stewart Williams, and Lyn Adamson was published recently. It concludes with 17 recommendations for action by governments and service providers. The barriers that young pregnant women and mothers are shown to be of three types, described in the report as 'common' barriers; barriers that are specific to particular services; and barriers that are specific to vulnerable subgroups. These types of barrier occur in a complex relationship with each other and can become self-perpetuating. The more barriers a young woman faces, and the more vulnerabilities she experiences, the more difficult it is for her to access services, and the more difficult it will be for service providers to accommodate her needs. The report concludes that best practice should mean that services would include those elements that help foster a strong positive relationship between the young woman and the service provider in question. A trusting relationship would overcome many of the barriers that might be faced by young pregnant women and mothers. For those young women in vulnerable subgroups, the most effective services are those that take the complexity of these young women's lives into account. The report is freely available as a PDF (642kb) at:
http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/VIA/nyars/$file/NYARS.pdf (ISBN: 978-1-921130-59-5).
(Source: http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/aboutfacs/programs/youth-nyars.htm, viewed 16 May 2007.)

YOUTH WORK

NSW youth work conference

RYDON, the Regional Youth Development Officers Network which serves the youth development officers of a large area of NSW councils, is holding its annual youth worker conference soon -- the deadline for registrations is 12 June 2007. More at: http://www.rydon.org.au/ or send an email to: Lronneberg [AT] samaritans.org.au