YFX November 2009 n.159

FEATURED STORIES

POLICY

The National Conversation on Youth

The Australian Government is developing a National Strategy for Young Australians in consultation with young Australians, their families, the youth sector, academics and the broader community through a 'National Conversation'. The Australian Youth Forum (AYF), one of the Australian Government's initiatives for engaging with young people, is hosting the National Conversation on its website (http://www.youth.gov.au/ayf/pages/NationalConversation.htm) from 22 October 2009 to 19 November 2009. The National Conversation web page lists a range of ways that people can contribute to the conversation, which include via the AYF website, Tweets, Twitter, YouTube, forums and youTHINK events. You can also download a National Conversation Discussion Paper from this page.

Also on the AYF website (http://www.youth.gov.au/ayf/Ideas/DiscussionForum.aspx?TopicID=21), the Australian Government outlines its vision 'for all young Australians to grow up safely, healthy, happy and resilient and to have the opportunities and skills they need to learn, work, engage in community life and influence decisions that affect them'.

The Prime Minister has identified seven core priorities for the National Strategy for Young Australians:

• empowering young Australians in their schools, institutes of technology, and universities to shape their own futures;
• supporting young Australians within their families;
• mobilising young Australians within their communities;
• enabling young Australians to participate safely and confidently online;
• equipping young Australians with the skills and personal networks they need for employment;
• strengthening early intervention with young Australians to help prevent any problems getting worse and to help young people get their lives back on track; and
• establishing clear-cut legal consequences for behaviours that endanger the safety of others.

We urge everyone to have their say on this important initiative that will impact on all young people in Australia: http://www.youth.gov.au/ayf/pages/NationalConversation.htm

AYF and Australia21 ask: What’s the next big question?

As part of the current National Conversation on Youth, the Australian Youth Forum has an area on its site where people can have their say on the next big question facing Australia.

Unlike previous AYF online discussion forums, this forum does not confine participants to any particular topic. 'In fact it’s the opposite – this is about giving you the chance to have a say about whatever issue matters most to you. Here is your opportunity to think big and be innovative. We want you to tell us what you think is the next big question facing our country.'

The AYF is hosting this discussion in collaboration with Australia21, an independent, non-profit organisation that seeks to shape Australia for future generations through a collaboration of leading and creative thinkers.

'The AYF will provide Australia21 with your 'next big questions' and your posts will feed into their two-year project. The trends and underlying themes emerging from your ideas will also be collated in a report which will be sent to the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, Kate Ellis, to inform future policy development.'

To have your say about the next big question, visit the Australian Youth Forum website at: http://www.youth.gov.au/ayf/Ideas/DiscussionForum.aspx?TopicID=20

For more information about Australia21's 'the next big question' project see: http://www.australia21.org.au

(Source: Australian Youth Forum, viewed 11 November 2009, http://www.youth.gov.au/ayf/Ideas/DiscussionForum.aspx?TopicID=21)

YOUTH WORK

Concepts and methods of youth – a must for the youth studies field

Copies of the latest publication from ACYS – Concepts and methods of youth work – are selling like the proverbial hot cakes. The publication has already been taken up as a textbook by one of Melbourne's leading academic institutions, and more institutions are expected to follow this lead.

So, don't miss out. You need a copy of this book for your own library, and you almost certainly will have friends or colleagues who need a copy too. It would also make the perfect present to use as a prize at your Christmas gathering.

Concepts and methods of youth work is the first of three volumes in the Doing youth work in Australia series edited by Rob White and published for the youth work field by ACYS. It contains a select range of contributions from the ACYS journal Youth Studies Australia chosen by Professor White for their relevance and practical significance to youth work in Australia today.

This is the first time in the history of youth work in Australia that the writings of so many leading figures in the youth work field have been brought together in a single volume. The book was launched by Dr Ani Wierenga at the YACVic conference held in Ballarat, Victoria, in mid-October.

Concepts and methods of youth work looks at the key issues of youth work as a career and as a profession. It not only delves into the practical skills and knowledge needed by individuals, but also highlights the ideological or philosophical universe within which workers operate.

What the experts think:

The Doing youth work in Australia series offers a comprehensive and systematic discussion of the challenges and realities that youth workers face. In these three volumes, youth workers and other professionals provide profound insights about their profession and about young people’s lives. It sets an agenda for debates about the profession of youth work and for future research and is a must for anyone interested in understanding the field of youth studies today. Professor Johanna Wyn, Director, Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne

Youth Studies Australia is still the best thing around I think, in terms of accessibility, rigour and the balance between research and practice. Professor Howard Sercombe, Department of Educational and Professional Studies, University of Strathclyde, Scotland

Youth Studies Australia offers us a sense of the history of the youth work sector. It highlights the collective challenges and achievements of young people, youth researchers and youth practitioners. Now we have an accessible compilation of our combined work to share with each other and, perhaps even more importantly, with those who will work with young people in the future. Robyn Broadbent, Coordinator, Youth Work, Victoria University

Publication details:

Title: Concepts and methods of youth work
Edited by Rob White
Published by the Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies
October 2009
ISBN 978 1 875236 61 9
Cost: $69.95 (including GST) plus postage
20% discount for bulk orders (5 or more copies)
Copies of this book can be ordered by contacting ACYS, ph: (03) 6226 2591; fax: (03) 6226 2578; or email: publications[AT]acys.utas.edu.au. For further information, visit: http://www.acys.info/publications/books/doing_youthwork_series_1

ACYS NEWS

Changing of the guard

Last month we sadly farewelled Youth Field Xpress founder Anne Hugo, who has decided to follow new paths.

Now we have to announce that YFX editor Kate Gross is leaving us this week to undertake important baby business. A wave of uncharacteristic Tasmanian heat, combined with the imminent birth of her child, means that she is happy to go for the moment. She has done a wonderful job of compiling and composing YFX, in addition to undertaking her important work on our journal Youth Studies Australia. Although we wish her all the best for the coming months, we will miss her knowledge and expertise, and look forward to her safe return to the ACYS office in due course. Here are Kate's departing words:

As of mid-November, I will be taking 12 months' maternity leave from ACYS. In my absence, Caroline Mordaunt will be taking over as editor of Youth Field Xpress. I wish her all the best and am confident that she'll do a wonderful job.

Although I've only officially been editor of YFX for a few editions, I've been helping former editor Anne Hugo with the newsletter since I started at ACYS in early 2006. Working on the newsletter has been a great way to get an education on the Australian youth sector. As I step back from my role for a year, I can't help but wonder what's in store for the sector over this period ... it's an exciting time! I look forward to keeping an eye on developments from somewhere amid the pile of nappies, baby wipes and bibs that my life is about to become!

New members of ACYS staff, Ann Davie (Information and Website Manager) and Caroline Mordaunt (Acting Deputy Editor), have a hard act to follow but are confident they can keep the news and information flowing.

Ann Davie has a BA (French/French Literature), BA (Hons) (French/French Literature) from Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois. She has worked with the Department of Education, Tasmania, in a number of roles, most recently as the coordinator for online services. Ann has over 20 years' experience in the software development and publishing industries, having worked for a number of entertainment software companies in the United States and Australia. Ann can be contacted by phone (03) 6226 7181 or email on ann.davie[AT]utas.edu.au

Caroline Mordaunt studied at King's College London (BA [Hons] in English) before working in several London publishing firms and then, in Tasmania, as a freelance editor/proofreader and writer. Most recently she has worked (and continues to work part time) in an administrative role at the University of Tasmania. She has two teenage boys who pretty much keep her abreast of their youth issues and because of them she now knows what 'fully sick' actually means!

If you have information to be included in forthcoming issues of YFX, comments or suggestions, please contact Caroline on caroline.mordaunt[AT]gmail.com; ph: (03) 6226 7537.

Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.4, December 2009

Feature articles in December’s edition of YSA:

The glue that holds our work together: The role and nature of relationships in youth work, by Helen Rodd & Heather Stewart
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.4, 2009, pp.4-10.

Summary: In the first paper of the December issue of Youth Studies Australia, the authors present research which suggests that youth workers have multi-dimensional relationships with young people, which have an educative component and therapeutic value. It is argued that these relationships are integral to the way in which youth workers work with young people, and that the significance of relationships to youth work should be documented in order to gain recognition and support, from the field and from funding bodies.

Improving outcomes for teenage pregnancy and early parenthood for young people in out-of-home care: A review of the literature, by Philip Mendes
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.4, 2009, pp.11-18.

Summary: Young people leaving out-of-home care are overrepresented among teenage parents. This paper examines the research literature and identifies key factors that contribute to early pregnancy and parenthood for care leavers, the challenges of early parenting and the positive effects of early parenting. The implications for out-of-home care policy and practice are outlined, and supports and programs that may contribute to better outcomes are identified.

The youth worker's role in young people's sexual health: A practice framework, by Marty Janssen & Jackie Davis
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.4, 2009, pp.19-28.

Summary: Sexual health promotion is of primary importance for young people in Australia, especially for vulnerable and at-risk young people. The authors identify the important role of youth workers in engaging clients proactively around a broad range of sexual health issues, and then discuss real and perceived barriers that youth workers face in meeting the sexual health needs of young people. The article presents a discussion engagement framework – the PLISSIT model – and practical examples to assist workers to improve their skills and confidence in this area.

Stress literacy in Australian adolescents, by Megan Varlow, Viviana M. Wuthrich, Rachael C. Murrihy, Louise C. Rémond, Rebekka I. Tuqiri, Jacobine M.M. van Kessel, Anna C. Wheatley, Anna Dedousis-Wallace & Antony D. Kidman
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.4, 2009, pp.29-34.

Summary: Stress literacy is a term that refers to knowledge about stress and stress management techniques. Levels of stress literacy were examined in more than 900 Australian adolescents by providing a short stress-management education session and assessing stress literacy using a pre–post survey design. It was found that while adolescents had a reasonable knowledge of the symptoms of stress and effective stress management techniques, the likelihood of adolescents seeking help for stress or using these stress management techniques was low. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Moving on: Young people and substance abuse, by Kathryn Daley & Chris Chamberlain
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.4, 2009, pp.35-43.

Summary:To help explain why some young people move from recreational drug use to substance abuse 12 in-depth interviews were conducted with young people who had experienced problematic substance use. The data were supplemented by statistical data on 111 young people. The researchers found a variety of 'structural' factors that help explain young people's journeys into substance abuse. These included involvement with the state care and protection system, growing up in environments where substance use was either acceptable or encouraged, leaving school early and homelessness.

'It's my time to shine': Young Australians reflect on past, present and imagined future alcohol consumption, by Jo Lindsay, Lyn Harrison, Jenny Advocat, Peter Kelly & Chris Hickey
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.4, 2009, pp.44-51.

Summary: Drawing on the drinking trajectories of 60 young Victorian drinkers (aged 20–24), this paper outlines patterns of change over time and explores two drinking biographies in depth. For most research participants, drinking alcohol was an enjoyable and integral part of their social lives but its role changed as they made other transitions in their lives. Most participants considered their early twenties to be a time for heavy alcohol consumption, and most imagined that they would drink less when they were middle aged.

Digital narratives of youth transition: Engaging university students through blended learning, by Sarah Baker & Sue Lovell
Youth Studies Australia, v.28, n.4, 2009, pp.52-59.

Summary: The rewriting of a first-year university sociology course provided the opportunity to introduce the use of digital narratives into the classroom. This technological change in course delivery led the authors to consider the ramifications of the 'digital native' debate in teaching university-level youth studies. The focus of this article is students' responses to and uptake of the process of applying digital technologies in the production of a higher order digital project.

NOVEMBER'S NEWS STORIES

CARE AND PROTECTION

National apology to the Forgotten Australians and former child migrants

Jenny Macklin, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, has announced details of Australia's national apology to the Forgotten Australians and former child migrants.

The Australian Government will formally apologise to the Forgotten Australians and former child migrants at a special remembrance event in Canberra on 16 November 2009, to be held in the Members' Hall in Parliament House. The Prime Minister will be apologising, on behalf of the nation, to more than 500,000 Australians, many of whom suffered abuse and neglect while in out-of-home care last century. The apology follows unanimous calls to start the healing process, which were heard during three Senate Inquiries: Lost Innocents – Righting the Record (2001); Forgotten Australians: A Report on Australians who experienced institutional or out-of-home care as children (2004); and the recent Lost Innocents and Forgotten Australians Revisited (2009). Members of key organisations representing Forgotten Australians and former child migrants, as well as members and senators from the Australian Government, the Coalition and the Australian Greens will attend the apology ceremony. The minister said that the government is 'also consulting with State and Territory Governments and past care providers in the development of the apology'.

The apology will recognise that many Forgotten Australians and former child migrants continue to face a range of complex issues, including mental and physical illness, homelessness, substance abuse, and educational and family relationship difficulties, as a result of their experiences in out-of-home care. (Source: Australian Government, Jenny Macklin (Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs), National apology to the Forgotten Australians and former child migrants, media release, 27 October 2009, http://www.jennymacklin.fahcsia.gov.au/internet/jennymacklin.nsf/content/jm_m_apology_27october2009.htm)

CRIME AND JUSTICE

Juvenile detention rates on the rise in Australia

A report released earlier this month by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) found that the number of young people in juvenile justice detention is increasing.

According to the report, which is titled Juvenile justice in Australia 2007–08, the number of young people in detention on an average day in Australia (except NSW, where data were not available) increased by 17%, from 540 in 2004–2005 to 630 in 2007–2008.

However, while there was an increase in the number of unsentenced young people in detention (including young people on remand), the number of sentenced young people decreased.

Rachel Aalders of the AIHW's Child and Youth Welfare Unit said, 'On an average day in 2004–2005, around one-third of those in detention were unsentenced. But by 2007–2008, over half were unsentenced'.

The reduction in the number of sentenced young people is likely to be due to a decrease in the number of young people received into sentenced detention and a decrease in the length of time spent in sentenced detention.

There were nearly 5,000 young people under supervision on an average day in all states and territories except NSW, and most (nearly 90%) were under community-based supervision.

The report can be downloaded from the AIHW website: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10853.

For further information about the report, contact Rachel Aalders: (02) 6244 1112; 0407 915 851. (Source: AIHW 2009a, Juvenile detention numbers on the rise, media release, 4 November, viewed 5 November 2009, http://www.aihw.gov.au/mediacentre/2009/mr20091104.cfm; AIHW 2009b, Juvenile justice in Australia 2007–2008, viewed 5 November 2009, http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10853)

DRUGS

Alcohol tops AIHW list of drug treatment episodes

Alcohol continues to be the number one drug of concern for Australians seeking treatment for drug or alcohol issues, according to a report released on 23 October by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services in Australia 2007-08: Report on the National Minimum Data Set, found that treatment for alcohol issues has continued to increase, with treatment for alcohol comprising 44% of treatment episodes in 2007-08 compared with 38% in 2002-03.

'Over 154,000 alcohol treatment episodes were provided in 2007-08, which is 7,000 more than the year before,' said Amber Jefferson of AIHW's Drug Surveys and Services Unit.

Alcohol treatment was followed by treatments for cannabis (comprising 22% of treatment episodes), amphetamines (11%) and heroin (11%).

Younger people (aged 10-19 years) were more likely to receive treatment for cannabis use (43% of treatment episodes) than alcohol (34%).

'Treatment for heroin use declined over the five years between 2002-03 and 2007-08, but there was a slight rise in the number of treatment episodes last year, from 14,870 in 2006-07 to 15,571 in 2007-08,' Ms Jefferson said.

'Treatment for cannabis and amphetamines has remained stable,' she said.

The vast majority of episodes (96%) involved clients seeking treatment for their own alcohol or other drug use, but a small percentage were for people seeking treatment related to someone else's drug or alcohol use.

Alcohol was the focus of treatment for most age groups, for 32% of people in their 20s, 42% of people in their 30s and 84% of people 60 and older. Counselling was the most common form of treatment sought followed by withdrawal management.

The AIHW has also released the report Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2007-08: Findings from the National Minimum Data Set, which presents summary results from the larger report.

The reports can be downloaded from the AIHW website: http://www.aihw.gov.au

(Source: AIHW 2009, Alcohol remains number one on drug treatment list, media release, 23 October, viewed 23 October 2009, http://www.aihw.gov.au/mediacentre/2009/mr20091023.cfm)

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING

Rudd government to fund 21,000 new Kickstart Apprenticeship places

This summer up to 21,000 government-supported apprenticeships will be made available to young people, financed through the Jobs Fund as part of the government's economic stimulus package. The government will invest $100 million to help fund these Apprentice Kickstart program places.

Support will be available to all employers who take on apprentices aged between 15 and 19 years in traditional trade jobs – bricklayers, carpenters, bakers, hairdressers and electricians, for example. It will be available to those apprentices taken on between 1 December 2009 and 28 February 2010. The amount an employer receives for a new apprentice has risen, so that in the first year they will get $4,850 towards the costs of employing that apprentice.

The additional Kickstart Apprenticeship places have been made available as a result of the Keep Australia Working report, which showed that apprenticeships have dropped by 20% because of the economic downturn compared to the same time last year.

To access the full Keep Australia Working report, go to http://www.deewr.gov.au/keepaustraliaworking (Source: Julia Gillard (Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations), 2009, Government stimulus to Kickstart Apprenticeships: Joint media release with Senator the Hon Mark Arbib and The Hon Jason Clare MP, 16 October, viewed 9 November 2009, http://www.deewr.gov.au/ministers/gillard/media/releases/pages/article_091016_150249.aspx)

GENDER

Plan International launches 2009 State of the World’s Girls report

This report, titled Because I am a girl, is the latest in the series by Plan International which aims to draw attention to the plight of girls throughout the world. In Australia the report was officially launched by the Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek.

Minister Plibersek spoke about the success stories of young women from around the world who have benefited from education and have fought against long-held customs and beliefs to make a better life for themselves.

She then went on to focus on the situation of women in Australia: 'There is no question that opportunities for women have increased here in Australia, and that our society and our economy have benefited'.

In Australia, women made up 55% of all higher education students in 2007, and Australia was ranked second on the UN Gender Related Development Index.

However, the Minister stressed that there is no room for complacency, and that it was still important for women to continue to gain recognition in many areas: violence against women needs to be reduced; Indigenous women still have many hurdles to overcome; and women should push to be represented on company boards.

To access the report, go to: http://www.becauseiamagirl.com.au/state_of_the_worlds_girls_2009.html (Source: ARACY eBulletin, 23 October 2009)

INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS

Indigenous children and out-of-home care standards

The Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC), the national nongovernment peak body in Australia representing the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, has urged consultants KPMG to consider the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children as a central concern when it prepares national standards for out-of-home care.

The Department of Families Housing Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) has engaged KPMG to develop a set of out-of-home care standards for consideration by state and territory community services ministers.

A total of 9,070 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are in out-of-home care in Australia, which represents 29.1% of the total population in care (Child Protection Australia 2007–2008 AIHW).

In 1997, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission report Bringing them home recommended the development of national minimum standards of treatment for all Indigenous children. SNAICC will seek to represent the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the development of national standards for out-of-home care by FaHCSIA.

SNAICC welcomes comments and questions by email to Julie Higgins at: julie@snaicc.asn.au. (Source: SNAICC website, viewed 2 November 2009, http://www.snaicc.asn.au/news/view_article.cfm?id=186&loadref=8)

Ministerial Council launches draft Indigenous education plan

The Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) has agreed on a draft Indigenous education action plan (IEAP) to guide the national effort towards closing the gaps in early childhood and school education outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

The document will provide a basis for the community to comment on a range of actions to bring about both systemic and local-level improvements across six domains of activity that evidence has shown will make the most impact on closing the gap: readiness for school; engagement and connections; attendance; leadership, quality teaching and work force development; literacy and numeracy; and pathways to real post-school options.

The draft IEAP has been informed by a review of the past four years of activity in Indigenous education under Australian Directions in Indigenous Education. The report of this review is available on the MCEECDYA website: http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/mceecdya

Developed by a national working group of senior officials, many of whom are Indigenous Australians, the draft IEAP will be circulated first to Indigenous education leaders and Indigenous education consultative committees. It will then be released publicly for further consultation.

The final document will be presented to the Council of Australian Governments early next year.

MCEECDYA agreed to the draft IEAP at their meeting on 6 November 2009, at which ministers also agreed to write to Health and Community Services Ministers' Councils seeking their support for a high-level task force to identify the additional effort required to complement and reinforce the school-based interventions and strategies under the IEAP.

(Source: Gillard, J. (Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for Social Inclusion, Deputy Prime Minister) 2009, Communique - Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs, second MCEECDYA meeting, media release, 6 November, viewed 11 November 2009, http://www.deewr.gov.au/Ministers/Gillard/Media/Releases/Pages/Article_091106_170454.aspx)

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

Launched recently in Paris: UNESCO’s World Report, Investing in cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue

This report, which was launched in late October, urges governments across the globe to recognise the importance of acknowledging and maintaining cultural diversity.

For young people, this need is particularly important as it is they who will be leaders and citizens of the global village in which we now live.

Speaking from an Australian perspective, Race Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes said: 'Recognising the importance of culture and the right to cultural liberty is now, more than ever, critically important in Australian society'.

He went on to say that 'we need policies that seek to preserve and promote cultural diversity – because, as this report says, such policies contribute to social cohesion and guarantee human rights to us all'.

The report highlights the importance of educating younger people about cultural diversity. To view the report, go to www.unesco.org/tools/fileretrieve/115598f4.pdf. (Source: Australian Human Rights Commission, email, 22 October 2009)

MULTICULTURAL ISSUES

Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) releases new information sheets for young people involved in sport

The CMY has released two sets of 'sports tips' to help young people involved in sport. The first gives guidelines for resolving conflict on the sports field. The second is aimed at supporting migrants and refugees who are, or want to be, involved in local sport.

The CMY is a community-based organisation that operates in Victoria; it 'advocates for the needs of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds' through a range of activities and publications.

The first set of tips, Fair play: Kicking conflict out of sport, describes processes and strategies for handling unfair play in sport, including intervention by parents. It features a number of brief example conflict situations and outlines the best way to deal with each.

The second set, Emerging communities are sporting communities, provides people involved with young migrants and refugees with background information on the sporting experiences of newly arrived young people. For example, the main themes that emerged from interviews with Iraqi and Burmese young people in Australia were the language skills barrier, the problem of transport, the cultural differences and issues with access to playing grounds.

To access the tips go to: http://www.cmy.net.au/CMYeNews and click on the October newsletter. (Source: CMY e-news, October 2009, viewed 5 November 2009, http://www.cmy.net.au/CMYeNews)