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Also see: Table of contents for this edition (n.136)

AUSTRALIAN CLEARINGHOUSE FOR YOUTH STUDIES
NEWS

Reminder about the December issue of 'Youth Studies Australia'

As described in the previous issue of this newsletter, the feature articles in the December issue of 'Youth Studies Australia' deal with grief and loss, sexual health and consent, rural youth and multimedia, and the participation of refugee youth. There's also an article about Wraparound: A collaborative, individualised, integrated and strength-based project. More details:
The above summaries, and details about subscribing to Youth Studies Australia, are available at: http://www.acys.info/journal (Subscribers receive the journal in hard copy plus online access options.)

ACYS office hours over the December and January holiday season

Please note that the ACYS office will be closed for a short period from midday on Friday, 21 December 2007 and will reopen on Wednesday, 2 January 2008.

ARTS, MUSIC

The Out There youth arts program is run by Country Arts WA in partnership with the Yiyili Community in Western Australia . An example of its work is the workshop held recently in the remote Kimberley community of WA in Gooniyandi Country, where the program helped local group the Walkabout Boys to further develop their musical and performance skills. The workshop was supported by YCulture Regional, a Healthway fund that promotes a "Drug Aware" message. For further information contact Rebecca Cockram, Regional Youth Arts Development Officer on free call 1800 811 883 or rcockram [at]countryartswa.asn.au

Creative Youth Initiatives at Mission Australia

'Between the Cracks' was an exhibition that showcased the work of 22 students enrolled in Mission Australia's Creative Youth Initiatives, a service helping young people aged 16 to 25 who are facing challenges in their lives, such as family breakdown, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse or are at risk of homelessness. Hosted by Global Gallery (5 Comber St., Paddington), the exhibition displayed about 200 artworks, photographs and jewellery pieces made from glass and semiprecious stones, some of which are still for sale to the public. More at:
http://officialmissionaustralia.blogspot.com/

The Australian Children's Music Foundation's songwriting awards

The ACMF recently announced the winners of their national songwriting competition, and some of them will be performing at the first night of the Sydney Festival in January 2008. The entrants were judged by an independent panel of Australian music industry identities. The competition, now in its 4th year, seeks to encourage the creativity and imagination of children through music. First-place winners in the competition receive a certificate for $750 worth of musical equipment, as do their schools. More details at: http://www.acmf.com.au

ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS

Mission Australia national youth survey 2007

Mission Australia released the report, 'National Survey of Young Australians 2007: Key and emerging issues', on 4 December 2007. It's their 6th consecutive annual survey of young Australians aged 11 to 24 years and seeks to identify the important and emerging issues for young people. Priority issues that emerged from the report are: body image, the environment, mental health issues, and alcohol and physical/sexual abuse. More at:
http://www.youthfacts.com.au/attitudes/attitudes2007/mission_australia_survey2007

Body image tops the list of concerns held by young Australians

Body image, family conflict and coping with stress are the issues that cause young Australians the greatest amount of concern, according to the results of Mission Australia's 'National Survey of Young Australians 2007'. The national survey of just under 29,000 young people aged 11 to 24 years was conducted online and through schools, colleges and youth services around the country by Mission Australia, with the help of government agencies and community and corporate partners. Besides recording demographic information, the survey also asked young people about their values, concerns, sources of advice and support, involvement in community activities, and whom they most admire.
When asked to rank 14 issues according to level of personal concern, body image emerged as the main issue, followed by family conflict, and coping with stress was third, ranked in the top three by 26.9 per cent of respondents. Other significant issues of concern included school/study problems, suicide, the environment, bullying/emotional abuse and physical/sexual abuse. Concern about body image has risen significantly since the 2006 Mission Australia survey, when it was ranked as the third most significant issue. Concern about this issue has doubled among 20- to 24-year-olds during this time.
Just over three-quarters of respondents ranked family relationships in their top three things most valued. This was followed by friendships, physical/mental health, and being independent. Friends were the main source of advice/support for 86 per cent of respondents, followed by parents (73.6 per cent), relatives/family friends (63.3 per cent) and the internet (19.1 per cent).
Based on the results of this survey, Mission Australia has named body image, the environment, mental health issues, and alcohol and physical/sexual abuse as priority issues among young Australians, issues that require a community response as well as policy and program development.
The 'National Survey of Young Australians 2007' can be downloaded in full from the Mission Australia website: http://www.missionaustralia.com.au/youthsurvey (Source: Mission Australia 2007, 'Body image the main concern for young Australians', media release, 4 December, viewed 4 December 2007, http://www.missionaustralia.com.au/cm/p.aspx?n=QXRCS-ZLJZU-GIKEK-YMLMK-GCRXT&MID=RSBOS-LHFUE-PRMBY-OZGTH-VNAGM
Mission Australia 2007, 'National survey of young Australians: Key and emerging issues', Mission Australia, viewed 4 December 2007, http://www.missionaustralia.com.au/youthsurvey/)

BULLYING

Cyberbullying: A virtual menace

This is the title of a paper given by University of Arizona researcher Dr Sheri Bauman at the National Coalition Against Bullying National Conference held in Melbourne on 2-4 November this year. The paper outlines methods of cyberbullying and the different online environments in which it occurs and examines the similarities and differences between cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying, and the prevalence and consequences of cyberbullying among teenagers. It then explores actions that parents and school staff can take to reduce the potentially damaging effects of cyberbullying for young people. The paper can be downloaded from the Australian Policy Online website: http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=181436 (Source: APO website, viewed 10 December 2007.)

Bullying -- everyone's business

The latest edition of the 'Kids Help Line Newsletter' contains a feature on bullying. According to the results of the 'Kids Help Line 2006 Overview', bullying was the sixth most common reason for children and young people to call Kids Help Line last year, accounting for over 3,000 counselling sessions. As well as outlining KHL statistics related to bullying, the feature includes several counselling case studies about bullying and suggests a number of approaches for dealing with bullying. (Source: 'Kids Help Line Newsletter', winter 2007, pp.1, 5-6.)

CALLS FOR PAPERS

From disengaged to re-engaged -- young people's right to education and training

Over the next 12 months, the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland (YANQ) will be undertaking a re-engagement project to challenge governments and communities to lift their game when it comes to supporting disengaged young people back into education and training. As part of this project, YANQ will be publishing a special free and public edition of their online journal, 'new Transitions', which focuses on this topic. Authors are invited to consider submitting a paper to be published in this special edition. The submission deadline is 22 February 2008. Full details are available at: http://www.yanq.org.au/content/view/726/71 (Source: Australian Youth Information Network (AYIN) email, viewed 11 December 2007.)

CARE AND PROTECTION

The human rights of children in need of care and protection

Earlier this year, the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University produced a paper in its series of Policy and Governance Discussion Papers titled 'Forming partnerships: The human rights of children in need of care and protection'. Written by Sharon Bessell and Tali Gal, this paper 'synthesises concepts of human rights, children's needs and citizenship as a basis for redefining policy and services for children in out of home care'. The paper can be downloaded from the Australian Policy Online website: http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=181334 (Source: APO website, viewed 10 December 2007.)

CRISES AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Red alert from the Local Government Association of Queensland

Red Alert! is a collection of digital stories on DVD published recently by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and made for young people by young people from across Queensland about cyclones, bushfires, severe storms and floods. The first resource of its kind, the DVD deals with emergency management and safety in natural disasters through telling the stories of young people who have faced these kinds of emergencies. Their stories are presented digitally as a collage of voices and art work. In Innisfail young people had stories to tell about Cyclone Larry which hit the region in 2006. In Tara (South West Queensland) young people talked about a bushfire that raged around their town in 2003. On the Gold Coast, young people talked about the images and stories for the multitude of storms and floods that have affected the area over the past 10 years. If you would like to download the Red Alert! Stories or find out more about the project please visit: http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/redalert.asp For further information, contact Emergency Management Queensland, email: redalert [at]emergency.qld.gov.au
Red Alert! was coordinated under the Queensland Disaster Management Alliance, developed in collaboration with the Local Government Association of Queensland, Emergency Management Queensland, Department of Emergency Services, Lucid Consulting and SpeakOut Ltd. Funding for the project was provided by Emergency Management Australia (EMA). If you would like information about the process of compiling the resource, Rachael Uhr, the LGAQ's Youth Policy Project Officer, would be happy to talk to you: email: rachael_uhr[at]lgaq.asn.au (Source: AYIN email list, 22/11/2007; Queensland Local Government Association).

CRIME AND JUSTICE

Juvenile offenders, intervention as 'triage'

'Screening juvenile offenders for further assessment and intervention', by Don Weatherburn, Rachel Cush and Paula Saunders of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, was released in early November 2007. The authors examine the scope for 'triaging' young offenders who come into contact with the criminal justice system, in order to identify those who should be referred for more careful assessment. The bulletin arises from a long-term study by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research into the situation of nearly 400 juvenile offenders placed on their first supervised order in 2000/2001. In terms of reoffending, 71 per cent of juvenile offenders were reconvicted of a further offence within four years. A large number of factors were found to be associated with the risk of further offending, but the key risk factors are those associated with school attendance, behaviour and past contact with the criminal justice system. (Source: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 'Crime and Justice bulletin' n.CJB109, November 2007,
http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/pages/bocsar_pub_cjb, viewed 12 December 2007).

CULTURE, SUBCULTURES

Creative Economy

'Creative Economy is a gateway to research and commentary on developments in Australia's creative industries and their cultural and social impact, hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI). The site draws on the resources of Australian Policy Online, together with outputs from industry groups, consultants and other researchers and research organisations.' The website is edited by Peter Browne and Amanda Lawrence, Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology. (Source: Creative Economy website, viewed 10 December 2007, http://www.creative.org.au/about.shtml)

DISABILITY

Growth attenuation and young people's rights

The December 2007 edition of 'link magazine' contains an essay by author and disability rights advocate Anne McDonald dealing with the issue of the rights of young people with severe disabilities. This issue has received public attention in the past few years following the case of a young American girl with severe disabilities who, at the request of her parents, underwent surgery to stop her from developing physically. McDonald became an advocate for the rights of young people with severe disabilities, particularly their right to communicate, following her own experiences as a severely disabled young person institutionalised for 14 years without the ability to communicate her wishes. Her story was the subject of the book and AFI Award-winning film 'Annie's coming out', both released in the early 1980s. (Source: 'link magazine', v.16, n.5, 2007, pp.22-23, 46.)

Strokes and young people

The experience of Emma Gee, a young Australian who experienced a stroke in her mid-twenties, is the subject of an article in the October 2007 edition of 'link magazine'. Since her stroke, Emma has formed an organisation called Shoestrings, which aims to connect stroke rehabilitation communities from around Australia. For further information, visit: http://www.shoestrings.net.au (Source: 'link magazine', v.16, n.4, 2007, p.12.)

What I'd like you to know about me!

The web-based resource 'What I'd like you to know about me' resource has been developed by the disability organisation Life's for Living to help the parents of children and young people to communicate their child's medical, educational and social histories to the many professionals and service providers involved in the care of their child. This resource allows parents and their children to create a book detailing the child's abilities, dreams, strengths, preferences and dislikes in a way that is not only informative for service providers but also positive and imaginative. For further information, contact Julie Brookes, Life's for Living, ph: (08) 8277 3300; 0407 728 773; email: info[AT]aboutme.org.au; website: http://www.aboutme.org.au (Source: 'link magazine', v.16, n.4, 2007, p.39.)

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

Harm reduction and death penalties for drug offences: A human rights perspective

A major new report by the International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) has been released by the IHRA's research and advocacy program on harm reduction and human rights. The report, 'The death penalty for drug offences: A violation of international human rights law', calls for an end to the use of the death penalty for drug offences around the world. The report emphasises how the harms faced by people who use drugs include not only health harms, such as HIV and hepatitis C infections, but also the effects of repressive law enforcement activities. Although the number of countries practicing capital punishment has steadily decreased during the past 20 years, the number of countries using the death penalty for drug offences has steadily increased. See: http://www.ihra.net/HR2 (viewed 13 December 2007; source: DrugInfo Clearinghouse email alert, 12/12/2007.)

EDUCATION

University retention: Participating in two purposeful activities and talking to parents pays off

Those interested in issues relating to retention and the undergraduate experience of university life might wish to read the recently released USA report, 'Experiences that matter: Enhancing student learning and success' (National survey of student engagement annual report 2007). Findings from this survey show that taking part in certain activities during university years boosts students' performance in many areas, such as thinking critically, solving real-world problems, and working effectively with others, and that those who frequently talk with their parents and follow their advice also participate more frequently in educationally purposeful activities and are more satisfied with their experience of university. This holds true for those whose parents actively intervene with institutional officials to solve problems their student encountered on campus. The full report is in PDF format at: http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE%5F2007%5FAnnual%5FReport/docs/withhold/NSSE_2007_Annual_Report.pdf (viewed 12 December 2007). The National Survey of Student Engagement is conducted by the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University Bloomington.

The lesson of Jonah

YFX readers familiar with the recent ABC television series 'Summer Heights High' will know that the characters created by comedian/writer Chris Lilley offered both humorous and heartbreaking insights into the Australian high school environment and the world of Australian teenagers. In the November 2007 edition of 'Education Review', ACER research director (teaching and learning) Professor Stephen Dunham has written an opinion piece on the 'Summer Heights High' character Jonah, a lively young Tongan student struggling with literacy problems. Professor Dinham's piece looks at how Jonah 'provides an example of how poor management of children with literacy problems can develop into behaviour problems'. The piece has also been published on the ACER website: http://www.acer.edu.au/enews/0711_jonah.html (Source: 'Education Review', v.17, n.8, 2007, p.5).

Year 12 assessment study

Research conducted by Dr Monir Mir from the University of Canberra's School of Business and Government indicates that the type of Year 12 assessment undertaken by students does not affect their performance in their first year of university. Dr Mir examined the academic performance of 345 first-year university students across a number of core business subjects. Two-thirds of these students had completed Year 12 in the ACT, which uses a system of continuous assessment, while the remainder of students completed Year 12 in NSW, where students are assessed through external exams. 'If one assessment system is superior to the other, it would be logical to expect that superiority to be reflected in students' performance at university. It isn't,' said Dr Mir. Earlier this year, the then Education Minister Julie Bishop stated that the continuous assessment models used for Year 12 students in Queensland and the ACT were inferior to the external examination assessment model used in other states. (Source: 'Education Review', v.17, n.8, 2007, p.3.)

EMPLOYMENT

Will we run out of young men? Implications of the ageing of the population for the trades in Australia

In October 2007, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) published this paper by Tom Karmel and Koon Ong. The paper 'considers the labour market for the traditional trades in Australia over the next 40 years and investigates whether the ageing society will pose a workforce problem. The broad conclusion is that the ageing society will significantly impact on the size of the potential trades workforce, but that this is unlikely to result in shortages. Rather, any shortage is more likely to occur if the trades lose their attractiveness relative to other occupations. Moreover, the age distribution of the trades workforce will remain largely unaltered.'
This paper can be downloaded as a PDF or Word document from the NCVER website. (Source: NCVER website, viewed 10 December 2007, http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1935.html)

HEALTH

NCVER report on VET responses to health skills shortages

In October 2007, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) published a report titled 'Responding to health skills shortages: Innovative directions from vocational education and training'. This report outlined findings from a study conducted by University of Tasmania researchers Sue Kilpatrick, Quynh Le, Susan Johns, Pat Millar and Georgie Routley. The report 'examines innovative solutions developed by the vocational education and training (VET) sector in response to skill shortages in the health sector. The study focuses on VET-trained workers in the health industry, and includes enrolled nurses, nursing assistants, personal care assistants, allied health assistants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers. The research, which also examines innovative overseas approaches to skill shortages in this industry, found that a partnership approach was one answer to dealing with skills shortages in this sector.'
The report can be downloaded as a PDF or Word document from the NCVER website. (Source: NCVER website, viewed 10 December 2007, http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1833.html)

The Butterfly Foundation's workshops and presentations

The Butterfly Foundation is Australia's largest charitable foundation that supports people with eating disorders and negative body image. They work with young people, helping them to develop positive self esteem, body image and media literacy skills. In their work in the areas of prevention, early intervention and health promotion, they deliver workshops and presentations to schools and community groups around Australia. Contact: Danni Watts, ph: (03) 9822 5771 or email: danni [at]thebutterflyfoundation.org.au, http://www.thebutterflyfoundation.org.au

INDIGENOUS YOUTH

The Northern Territory intervention is the theme for the latest issue of the 3/17 December 2007 issue of the Medical Journal of Australia, online at:
http://www.mja.com.au/

If I were prime minister ...

Another perspective on the Howard government's intervention in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory is offered by Professor Judy Atkinson in the October 2007 edition of 'Australian Children's Rights News'. In this opinion piece, Professor Atkinson, director of Gnibi, College of Indigenous Australian Peoples at Southern Cross University, Lismore, outlines how she would tackle the problems faced by Indigenous communities if she were prime minister. (Source: 'Australian Children's Rights News', n.44, October 2007, pp.11-12.)

Us taken-away kids

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) launched the magazine, 'Us taken-away kids' on 11 December. Compiled to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 'Bringing them home' report, the magazine represents artwork and stories from members of the Stolen Generations throughout Australia and "serves as a testament to the resilience of Aboriginal people and their ability to triumph in the face of despair". At the same time, an updated version of the HREOC's popular 'Bringing them home' educational package was also launched, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma delivered the first of a series of headline speeches ('Essentials for Social Justice') setting out an agenda for change for Indigenous affairs. (Source: HREOC email alert. 10/12/2007.)

An international perspective on Indigenous children's rights

A report handed down in April this year by the Canadian Senate's Standing Committee on Human Rights came to the conclusion that 'consecutive federal governments have not kept the promises that were made upon ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 28 May 1990', particularly in relation to Indigenous children. The report, 'Children: The silenced citizens', found that many young Indigenous Canadians with severe medical problems were being referred away from their home reserves to institutions in large cities due to disputes over which authorities were responsible for paying for the medical care of Indigenous Canadians. The report is available in PDF format from:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/39/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/huma-e/rep-e/rep10apr07-e.pdf (Source: 'Australian Children's Rights News', n.44, October 2007, pp.16-17.)

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

New jacket makes for sinister-looking hoodies

In the UK, politicians are calling for a new brand of hooded jackets to be banned due to fears that the wearers might intimidate the public. The jackets come with a hood that completely covers the head, plus inbuilt goggles, and look more suited for fighting biological hazards than cold weather. See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22918119-12377,00.html (viewed 13/12/2007).

The biggest expansion of youth services in the UK's history

In what he terms the biggest expansion of "youth services and children's play", the UK's Children's Secretary has launched the Children's Plan, by which an extra 160 million pounds is to be ploughed into improving the range and quality of youth centres. The UK's Children's Secretary said the money would be distributed through the Big Lottery Fund for two years, and would be used to fund either new youth centres or refurbished centres. The money will be made available before further investment from dormant bank accounts comes on stream. (Source: 'Children and Young People Daily Bulletin', 11 December 2007, http://www.cypnow.co.uk/, viewed 13 December 2007.)

MENTAL HEALTH

Young voices in multicultural mental health

The latest edition of 'Synergy', the magazine of Multicultural Mental Health Australia (n.3, 2007), is devoted to the topic of mental health among young people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. It includes pieces by and about young people from CALD backgrounds; both those who experience mental health issues themselves and those who care for parents with a mental illness. It also includes articles about programs and resources designed to improve the mental health and wellbeing of CALD young people, and an edited extract from a paper outlining findings from the report 'Working with multicultural youth: Programs, strategies and futrue directions', which was produced by the Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI) on behalf of the Australian Research Alliance on Children and Youth (ARACY). For further information about this edition of 'Synergy', visit: http://www.mmha.org.au/mmha-products/synergy/2007-no-3-young-voices (Source: 'Synergy', n.3, 2007.)

Multicultural Youth Pledge

The Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues (CMYI) is coordinating a Multicultural Youth Pledge campaign. This campaign 'is urging decisionmakers to work harder to engage with and promote the skills, knowledge and energy of migrant and refugee young people; develop a national strategy to tackle racism and discrimination; fund comprehensive research into the real situation for migrant and refugee young people and increase funding to support services for migrant and refugee young people'. For further information about the Multicultural Youth Pledge campaign, visit the CMYI website: http://www.cmyi.net.au/MulticulturalYouthPledge (Source: 'Synergy', n.3, 2007, p.12.)

Black Dog's writing competition

The Black Dog Institute's fourth annual writing competition is open, and the topic is 'Mood disorders in adolescence -- grassroots solutions'. The Black Dog Institute invites essays and poems from those who have, or did have, clinical depression or bipolar disorder in adolescence, as well as their carers, in order to learn who and what helped them most, and their strategies and the responses of parents, other family members, friends and professionals. Entries close on 31 January 2008. For further information, visit:
http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/media/writingcompetition/index.cfm
(Source: Black Dog Institute 2007, 'Black Dog Institute Writing Competition', media release, 4 September, viewed 12 December 2007.)

New anxiety disorders resource from SANE Australia

In mid-November, SANE Australia launched a new DVD to provide people with information on anxiety disorders. The DVD features people affected by anxiety disorders describing the conditions and effects of their disorder, as well as treatments and coping strategies. The DVD is available in a kit which also contains the booklet 'The SANE guide to anxiety disorders'. For further information, visit the SANE Australia website: http://www.sane.org Coinciding with the release of the DVD, the summer 2007 edition of 'SANE News' contains a feature on anxiety disorders (Source: 'SANE News', issue 44, summer 2007, p.6.)

MOVEMENTS, CHANGES, MILESTONES

Thomson Education becomes Cengage Education

Thomson Education, involved in distance education in Australia since 1921, is changing its name to Cengage Education. This follows the sale of Thomson Learning to Apax Partners and Omers for US$7.75bn in May 2007. "The name change marks Cengage Education's formal launch as a dual sector operation: the company will now work across the vocational sector, where it has a long history, and it will move into the higher education sector where it will provide relevant, accessible and flexible tertiary courses." (Source: Email, 12/12/2007; media release, viewed 12/12/2007.)

ACYS manager retires

Sheila Allison is retiring from the Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies after 18 years as ACYS manager and publisher. Read more in the editorial to the December issue of the ACYS journal, 'Youth Studies Australia', by YSA editor Sue Headley. It reads in part: "Her wisdom, knowledge, compassion and diplomacy will be irreplaceable. The youth field has Sheila to thank for her vision of a clearinghouse to provide the field with one-stop access to information, news, research, and facts and stats from around the country and the world." (Source: Youth Studies Australia, v.26, n.4, editorial p.2, http://www.acys.info/journal/issues/v26-n4-2007/p2_editorial (viewed 12 December 2007).
In her farewell editorial in the same issue, Sheila Allison comments on what she's observed as a trend for organisations and services to combine the "childhood" component of their services with the "youth" component. Her editorial, 'Youth are not children' expresses her concern that 'without youth-specific focuses, the programs, policies, research and other efforts mounted under the [children and youth] umbrellas can too easily overlook both the hard, unappealing issues as well as the more mundane matters that challenge the upper half of the 12- to 24-year-old population.
Along these lines, YFX notes that the online UK magazine, 'Young People Now', has merged with its sister publication, 'Children Now' to become 'one comprehensive title covering all issues facing children and young people aged 0 – 19 years' called 'Children and Young People Now'. http://www.cypnow.co.uk/

PUBLIC SPACE

Libraries and young people

CHD Partners in Sydney have done work on young people and public space, developing information for security guards at shopping centres to help them better understand the young people they came into contact with. Now they have released a new package along the same lines for library staff: 'Young people and libraries' is available from the Youth Action and Policy Association's website, where it can be downloaded as a PDF document:
http://www.yapa.org.au/youth/facts/librarykit.pdf (Source: Email, Garner Clancy, CHD Partners, 14/12/2007.)

Outcomes and directions statement from the 2006 Creating Child Friendly Cities conference

In March 2007, the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) and the Urban Research Program, Griffith University (URP), finalised an outcomes and directions statement.The document contains a summary of key findings from the conference organised by topic (governance and responsibility issues, research challenges, challenges for professional practice, training opportunities, and advocacy and communication requirements), and outlines future directions for the development of the CCFC agenda. The document can be downloaded from the Griffith University website. (Source: Head, B. & Gleeson, B. 2007, 'Creating Child Friendly Cities (CCFC) Conference: Outcomes and directions statement', media release, 19 March, Griffith University Urban Research Program, viewed 10 December 2007, http://www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp/MediaReleases/CCFCFinalOutcomesStatement.pdf)

RESEARCH

NCVER assumes responsibility for LSAY

In mid-2007, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) assumed responsibility for the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) Analysis Program, a service previously provided by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). NCVER has created a dedicated longitudinal surveys section on its website (http://www.ncver.edu.au/lsay/about.html) and will launch a dedicated LSAY website in 2008. For further information, visit the NCVER website: http://www.ncver.edu.au (Source: NCVER, letter, 20 November 2007.)

RISK-TAKING

Technology getting in the way of safe driving

Three-quarters of young drivers have sent or received a text message while driving, according to the 2007 'AAMI Young Drivers Index' released in November. This year, insurance company AAMI commissioned a telephone survey of 2,380 drivers aged 18 years and over (located in every Australian state and territory except Western Australia, where the company does not operate) in order to compare the driving habits of young drivers (those aged 18 to 25 years) with those of older drivers. The survey found that while 75 per cent of young drivers sent or received text messages while driving, only 36 per cent of older drivers did so. Likewise, more young drivers admitted to being distracted from driving while using their MP3 player (20 per cent) or their car stereo (58 per cent) compared with older drivers (7 per cent and 38 per cent respectively). Young drivers were also more likely than older drivers to admit that they exceed the speed limit most of the time while driving (18 per cent compared with 7 per cent), were more likely to report exhibiting signs of road rage (26 per cent compared with 17 per cent), and were less likely than older drivers to stop for a powernap if they felt tired while driving (46 per cent compared with 30 per cent). Findings can be downloaded in full from the AAMI website. (Source: AAMI 2007, 'Young Drivers Annual Road Safety Index', viewed 10 December 2007, http://www.aami.com.au/about_aami_insurance/aami_news_centre/news_special_reports.asp viewed 14 December 2007.)

SOCIAL NETWORKS

digi_club

digi_club (http://www.digi.org.uk/) is an online youth club for young people aged 12 to 16. Created by Folly, a non-profit digital arts organisation in North West England, digi_club is designed to encourage young people to participate in the world of digital arts. A case study on the digi_club project is available on the ProjectsETC website, a resource for people creating interactive projects related to education, technology and culture:
http://www.projectsetc.org/home_page/case_study_digi_club_online_yo.html

Legal aspects of Web 2.0 activities

Researchers from the Intellectual Property: Knowledge, Culture and Economy research program based at the Law Faculty of the Queensland University of Technology have written a report on the legal considerations associated with the use of online social networking sites. This report, 'Legal aspects of Web 2.0 activities: Management of legal risk associated with use of YouTube, MySpace and Second Life', 'identifies the practical legal risks associated with activities conducted in online participatory spaces. Encompassing copyright, privacy, defamation, breach of confidence and other areas of law, it outlines the main considerations that arise when engaging in the online environment. It also examines the popular social networking platforms YouTube, MySpace and Second Life in detail, analysing legal issues specific to their Terms of Use and functionality'. (Source: APO website, viewed 11 December 2007, http://www.apo.org.au/linkboard/results.chtml?filename_num=180882)

VOLUNTEERING

World Youth Day

World Youth Day will be held in Sydney from 15-20 July 2008, with more than 500,000 people from all over the world expected to take part in the event. Pope Benedict XVI will make his first visit to Australia for the occasion. Volunteers are sought not only from around Sydney, but from across Australia, New Zealand and around the world. For more information and to apply, visit: http://www.wyd2008.org/volunteer

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

... in PNG

The Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment 2007 – 2015 was officially launched in Papua New Guinea this month. The work of the Commonwealth Youth Programme falls under three strategic areas: Youth enterprise and sustainable livelihoods, which aims to assist young people to train themselves to get into some enterprises and business for self-employment; youth work education and training – which is dedicated to professionalising youth work and establishing code of ethics and organising youth workers into professional association; and governance, development and youth networks, which promotes young people's participation in policy making. In addition, a distance education course for the Diploma in Youth Development Work is being coordinated by the PNG Institute of Public Administration in partnership with the National Youth Commission and the Commonwealth Youth Programme of the Commonwealth Secretariat. (Source: CYP website, http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=173703, viewed 14 December 2007.)

YOUTH WORK

Building bridges for the sake of youth

The November 2007 edition of the Search Institute's online publication 'Insights & Evidence' contains a summary of findings from an exploratory project which investigated the possibility of common ground for the shared training and professional development of community-based and faith-based youth workers. Conducted by the Search Institute (an American-based independent non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion healthy children, youth and communities) and the National Collaboration for Youth (a coalition of American youth development organisations), the project involved an online survey of youth workers, focus groups with youth workers and consultation with national leaders. Results indicated both 'a remarkable degree of consensus (with a few important exceptions) on the characteristics of an effective youth worker' and 'broad interest in learning and mutual support' across the community-based and faith-based sectors. The paper, 'Building bridges for the sake of youth: Community- and faith-based youth workers have much to learn from each other', can be downloaded from the Search Institute's website: http://www.search-institute.org/research/Insights/ (Source: Roehlkepartain, E.C. 2007, 'Building bridges for the sake of youth: Community- and faith-based youth workers have much to learn from each other', Search Institute Insights & Evidence, v.4, n.2, pp.1-11.)