2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia

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Message from
the Minister
In February 2015, I launched
It Starts with YOUth, a fresh approach to
addressing the needs of young people living in
South Australia. The 2015 strategy identified youth
engagement, youth homelessness and youth
transitions as key themes to explore.
Our 2016 strategy, Connected to YOUth will
build on these priorities, using feedback we have
received from the sector, and most importantly,
young people.
Over the last year, I have had the privilege of talking
with hundreds of young people across South
Australia. Connecting through youth forums, round
tables, websites and social media has given me
the opportunity to hear directly about what really
matters to them.
Through these discussions, young people shared
with me future desires for themselves and their
communities. Overwhelmingly, they showed
themselves to be thoughtful, aspirational and
engaged, identifying a diverse range of values
important to them, including good mental health,
positive personal and family relationships and work
opportunities for all young South Australians.
Through Connected to Youth, we will
continue to prioritise youth engagement, building
on what we achieved in 2015 to ensure an even
greater reach in listening to and communicating
with young people.
Connected to YOUth will also more deeply
explore issues surrounding youth homelessness,
in particular the links between homelessness and
relationship and/or family violence.
In April 2015, we launched the highly successful
Successful Transitions program to support
young people who struggle to transition from
school to work or further education and training.
Connected to YOUth will continue to invest in
our most disengaged young South Australians
through the continuation of the Successful
Transitions program.
In addition to these priorities, we will
introduce Be a Job Maker. The South
Australian economy is transitioning from
traditional bases of mining and manufacturing
to a diverse economy where new and
emerging technologies will be integral to our
future prosperity. Through Be a Job Maker,
we will explore the new world of ‘start-up’
entrepreneurialism for young South Australians.
I hope you find Connected to YOUth inspiring
and innovative, and look forward to continuing
our connected journey during 2016.
Hon Zoe Bettison
Minister for Youth
February 2016
2 | Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia
What we know about South
Australia’s young people
There are
276,000
young people in South
Australia aged 12- 24
55,709
live outside
of Adelaide
170,990
Youth engagement
Youth engagement goes beyond
giving young people a voice. It
is about ensuring that young
people are valued, that their
contributions are respected,
considered and acted upon
and that they are included in
decisions that affect them.
Meaningful youth engagement
builds partnerships with young
people, giving them a genuine
sense of ownership in decision
making and in shaping
their vision.
are engaged in full or
part time education
Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia | 3
How we connected with
young people in 2015
Engaged online
through YourSAy website
Engaged with young people through
social media
Met face to face
with up to 180 young people at
Country & Metropolitan Youth Forums
4 | Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia
What we heard from
young people in 2015
It is important
that young people
have a voice and
opportunities to
engage are varied.
“Include the voices of young people
in the community decision making
processes, ensure that young people
truly know their opinions are being
heard and valued”
Limestone Coast Youth
Forum participant
Innovative pathways
are needed to support
young people to engage
in education, training
and employment
opportunities.
“Employers want young people with
skills but there is no one willing to
give the job training”
Western Youth Forum participant
A young person’s
postcode should not
determine who they
are or what they can
achieve.
Young people want to
see support for those
who are homeless and
to prevent it in the
first place.
“Other communities and the media
do not think about the impact that
negative comments about the
northern suburbs can have on
young people.”
“Address the causes of youth
homelessness e.g. domestic violence
and mental health”
Barossa Youth Forum participant
Playford Youth Forum participant
Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia | 5
A new model of
youth engagement
In 2015, one of the key strategic elements of It Starts with YOUth
was the development of a new model of youth engagement for use
across government.
Utilising Better Together principles, our Government worked in
collaboration with YACSA to develop this best practice guide,
which will be launched along with Connected to Youth.
What will
Connected
to YOUth do?
Continue the conversation, particularly about key
issues, including family and relationship violence.
Use a variety of opportunities to engage with young
people about youth issues, concerns and ideas,
including via Youth Forums at Country Cabinet and
Metropolitan Cabinet.
Give more young people a voice via online engagement
through YourSA, Facebook and on Twitter.
Determine how best to build action based
on this feedback.
6 | Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia
Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia | 7
Successful Transitions
Young people not participating in education or
employment find themselves in a precarious
situation with an increased likelihood of financial
distress, health/mental health issues and contact
with the justice system. The Successful
Transitions program supports vulnerable young
people aged 17-24 to take the leap into further
education, training or secure employment, creating
opportunities and the best chance of prosperity.
Launched in April 2015, Successful Transitions
intensively mentors young people who are
disengaged from education or training. The
program targets the most marginalised young
people in our communities. The program is
delivered across selected metropolitan and regional
locations by specialist providers with proven
experience of working with young people.
In 2015, prior to their engagement with
Successful Transitions, 77% of participants were
disengaged for at least three months or more and
44% recorded they were disengaged for
12 months or longer.
The majority of participants in Successful
Transitions in 2015 identified as male (64%) with
approximately half of all participants having an
educational attainment of Year 10 or less. The
majority of participants were aged between 18 and
21 years of age and 16% of participants identified
as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI).
Young people referred to Successful Transitions
experience a number of complex vocational and
non-vocational barriers to engagement. The
snapshot of participants for 2015 found 65% of
young people had a diagnosed or suspected
mental health condition, with 3% of young people
recording a disability and a mental health condition.
Nearly half of all Successful Transitions
participants in 2015 (47%) recognised their use
of alcohol, petrol sniffing and/or other drugs as a
barrier to engagement. Following substance use,
unstable housing was a causative factor and
25% of participants identified family and/or
domestic violence as contributing
to their disengagement.
What will
Connected
to YOUth do?
Successful Transitions will continue to deliver
intensive mentoring and case management
support for a further twelve months. This
commitment by Government will support
some of South Australia’s most vulnerable
young people to secure a future. Successful
Transitions will extend its reach in the Mid
North to include mentoring support for young
people in the Whyalla region.
8 | Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia
% of participants
Barriers to transition
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Housing
Parenting
Caring for others
GOM
Alcohol/Drug
use/Petrol sniffing
Abuse/Domestic
violence issues
What did Successful Transitions achieve in 2015?
After just a few months on the program, 57% of participants reported an improved connection to
community. Over half (55%) of participants reported that they had addressed and/or minimised barriers
and recorded an achievement towards their identified goals.
Despite entrenched disengagement prior to Successful Transitions, one in three (35%) participants
commenced employment and 41% of participants commenced education or training less than six months
into the program.
Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia | 9
Recycling and
renewal
Jack* 18, Murraylands
Jack’s employment provider referred him to
Successful Transitions as he was struggling
to meet the mutual obligation requirements
needed to keep his Centrelink payments. Jack
left school during year 11 due to extreme
anxiety, which caused him to become isolated,
struggling to maintain social and sporting
connections.
Successful Transitions teamed with Jack to
identify his goals and create a plan for the future.
Through intensive mentoring, Jack was able
to develop coping strategies for his anxiety.
Jack was supported through the Youth2Work
program operated by Regional Development
Australia (RDA) and received assistance to get
his white card accreditation. Jack continued to
apply for work and his perseverance eventually
paid off when he gained a role working at his
local recycling centre.
Jack is really enjoying working at the recycling
centre and is receiving post-employment
placement support to ensure that his transition
to work is a success.
10 | Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia
Baking
her way to
success!
Tyra* 19, Southern region
Headspace referred Tyra to
Successful Transitions. Diagnosed
with split personality disorder, Tyra
lacked confidence and presented
with anxiety issues. Tyra lived
independently with a partner, who
like her was long term unemployed.
Successful Transitions assisted
Tyra to continue support from
Headspace for her mental health
issues as well as enrol in programs
to improve her communication,
interview, resumé and letter writing
skills. Tyra’s self-esteem and
confidence grew and eventually
she landed a part-time job in a
bakery. Tyra is now working regular
shifts, living a healthy lifestyle and
presenting as a confident and
intelligent young woman.
Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia | 11
Youth homelessness –
relationship and family violence
On any given night, more than
1,400 young
people are
homeless
in South Australia.
For many young people, their homelessness is an
issue hidden from mainstream society. For young
people, homelessness is a chaotic existence of
crashing on couches until no longer welcome and
staying in unsafe surroundings. Specialist youth
homeless gateway services are located across
South Australia to deliver a localised ‘no wrong
door’ approach to young people in crisis.
What we know
Family and relationship/dating violence is a leading
cause of homelessness for young people.
Domestic and family violence can take many
different forms including intimidation, coercion or
isolation, emotional, physical, sexual, financial and
spiritual abuse.
Young women aged 18-25 are twice as likely as
older women to experience physical or sexual
violence. Estimates for young women aged
14-19 show a quadrupling in the likelihood of
experiencing physical or sexual violence.
Young women are over-represented, seeking crisis
support through the youth homeless gateway.
Relationship and family violence services have
specialist skills and expertise in working with
people who are or have experienced violence.
People aged 18 years and over are supported
by specialist domestic violence services, young
people under 18 are referred to the general youth
sector for assistance.
What will
Connected
to YOUth do?
In response to what we know about the links
between relationship and/or family violence
and youth homelessness, Government will
lead a multi-sector round table to consider
collaborative opportunities to better support
young people experiencing relationship and/or
family violence.
Building on the findings of the SYC
Youth Homeless Paper, Government
will bring together the support sectors of
relationship and/or family violence, youth
support and homelessness services to
explore connectedness in approach
and service delivery.
The findings of the round table will form the
basis of a published paper for sharing across
Government and the community to ensure
that young people experiencing relationship
and/or family violence are able to access
the right support.
12 | Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia
Youth homelessness – get Money Smart
What we know
High demand and low vacancy rates for rental
stock means young people living independently
need adept budgeting and money management
skills to secure and maintain a tenancy.
The majority of independent single young people
aged 22 years and below who are full time studying
or looking for work receive Centrelink Youth
Allowance, a payment of $433.20 per fortnight,
with a maximum rental allowance of $129.40.
Young people struggling to budget on low and
fixed incomes are at high-risk of unstable housing,
losing tenancy and subsequently are at
high-risk of homelessness.
What will Connected to YOUth do?
In response to what we know about the need for
young people at risk to be skilled in budgeting
and money matters, the Government will fund 200
places for community organisations to deliver the
Australian Securities and Investments Commission
(ASIC) Money Smart Rookie program
to vulnerable young people in their region.
Young people will learn about credit cards and
managing debt, financial pitfalls of mobile phones,
first time car ownership, online transactions and
living independently.
Funding will be open for not-for-profit and
community based organisations throughout
South Australia. Regional and remote community
organisations will be strongly encouraged to apply.
Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia | 13
Be a job maker
Emerging technologies coupled with the growth
of global social media platforms are providing
young people with a niche opportunity to develop
entrepreneurial start-up micro-businesses.
Start-up businesses are often spontaneous
and created out of identified immediate need or
opportunity. Start-ups often require little business
capital, making business creation an obtainable
goal for many young people.
For young people who do not transition from
high school to further education, training or work,
gaining skills and experience in entrepreneurial
micro-businesses can provide a self-employment
and income generation pathway.
What will
Connected to
YOUth do?
We will investigate what start up support and
opportunities are available for young people in
our State, so young South Australians are able
to maximise their entrepreneurial spirit.
14 | Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia
Dave Court, 24
Jess Thomson, 25
Dave is an Adelaide based painter, illustrator and
designer working in a variety of areas and media.
Just a few years ago, Dave was a student, getting
by on Centrelink Youth Allowance.
Jess is the owner of Square Mile Tours, which
offers visitors to South Australia a unique and
sophisticated immersion experience discovering
the best of what Adelaide has to offer. Guided by
Jess, visitors experience South Australia’s produce
in a ‘live local’ style.
After graduating from visual arts studies, Dave
learnt how to screen print from local screen printers
and watching You Tube videos. Dave slowly built
up his own designs, selling his products at markets
and online. Dave completed the Commonwealth
New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) that
helped him draft a business plan and understand
the legal and financial requirements of business
ownership. A year later, and with the help of
pop-up retail space through Renew Adelaide, Dave
was able to open his Created Range shop in
Regent Arcade.
Technology combined with sheer determination
has helped Dave build his business and win
awards along the way. Learning from experience
and collaborating with other young artists, Dave’s
next goal is to expand to interstate markets while
keeping his base here in South Australia.
“Coming out of
school, you have to do
‘something’ - might as
well be something
(for me, art) you enjoy”.
Jess studied tourism and event management while
working in major music and arts festivals. Realising
that much of the work for event management is
short-term, Jess decided to open her own tourism
business. Jess worked on the concept and
direction with support from the Commonwealth
New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS). Jess
taught herself website design and in December
2015 launched her own business.
“It’s about finding
a niche, creating
structure and
then working
really hard to
make it happen”.
Connected to YOUth | 2016 Youth Strategy for South Australia | 15
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Printed: February 2016 | Publication number: DCSI-860