AICAFMHA:
promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
ABN 87 093 479 022
NYPS Project Update - 05/11/2004
WOW, where has the fortnight gone?
Here is only a snapshot!
The literature search continues:
1. In the books/journals/internet/newspaper articles
2. And finding out what is happening out there in the community
is well on its way.
We have 87 people/organizations registered through the online registration form and some common themes around barriers are already starting to be identified from both sources.
* Time - for young people to be involved they need 'time' - so deadline are required for structure but also they need to be flexible.
* Involvement from the start - young people becoming involved during the process instead of being the primary partner of the process.
* Cost
i. Money - having the budget to take the barriers away from the young people, e.g. transport, honorarium payment, communication networks....
ii. Resources - time available to staff as the feedback is youth participation can be time consuming with people identifying the need to develop trust and a positive relationship as being essential.
* Engagement - being inclusive of all young people and providing the necessary supports so all can participate.
* Training and Development - set modules versus on the job experience, finding a happy medium for the both.
* Sustainability - developing the youth participation culture as part of 'every day life' as opposed to another 'thing to do'.
The feedback from everyone so far is a 'one size fits all' approach does not work if you want to address these barriers so a number of draft 'messy models' which include some basic good practice principles are being developed and we are going to want your feedback in the near future - details to come.
Finally, as the journey continues there are lots of positives: 'Youth participation' is increasingly being adopted as a principle or policy in all tiers of government. Just over one in three young people had participated in some form of political activity in the past (Australian Democrats Youth Poll 2002) Personal satisfaction and the desire to help others were the most common reasons given for volunteering. However, young people in this age group (12-17) were most likely to cite gaining work experience and learning new skills as the reason for volunteering. (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2001)
Dyanna Smith-McCue
National Youth Participation Strategy Project Officer
smith.dy@saugov.sa.gov.au
Ph: (08) 8161 7338
Fax: (08) 8161 6983
PO Box 387, Stepney SA 5069
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