The Scoop Newsletter
February 2016
YACSA Update
contents
Hello and welcome to edition # 6 of The Scoop In the last edition I provided an update on the youth engagement resource we prepared for the state government and I’m pleased to announce it’s been launched and we’ve included some information and a link on page 5. The next
YACSA Update
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Y Vote?
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step for us is to deliver training to government workers on the content and we’re hoping to involve young members so we’ll keep you posted about that. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the guide! Our big sector event for the year went off without a hitch towards the end of
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SACOSS Budget Submission
February but we were frantic in the lead up so the young member policy group’s February meeting was held in the first week of March. At the meeting we explored the point and purpose of the group and agreed that a name change is in order. We didn’t settle on a name but we did agree that the group should focus on
Better Together
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National Youth Week
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Handy Hansard
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Opportunities
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current issues for young people, advocacy, learning more about political processes and keeping the government accountable, among other things. We’ll continue the conversation at the next meeting and let you know the outcome. In the last issue we showcased Y Vote – a non-partisan social enterprise dedicated to increasing youth voter participation and political engagement. We were pleased to meet with its founder, Skye Riggs this month to talk about how YACSA can support Y Vote’s work which will include workshops and campaigns for young people across South Australia in the lead up to the Federal election. You can read more about the organisation on page 2 and 3 and we encourage you to check out the site. Also in this issue is some information about the SA Council of Social Service (SACOSS) State Budget Submission which was launched this month. YACSA contributed a youth perspective to the budget “asks” and focussed on youth unemployment and underemployment. We’ll let you know how the government responds when the budget is released in June. Cheers Anne
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In our last issue we talked about the awesome new initiative of Y Vote, which is inspiring young people to participate in the electoral process. We recently sat down with CEO and founder of Y Vote, Skye Riggs to look into how we could collaborate. Below, is some more information about Y Vote.
You may be asking Y Vote?
- Rachel Faleatua, Community Engagement Y Vote
Who are we and what are we about? Y Vote is the first non-partisan social enterprise in Australia dedicated to increasing youth voter participation and political engagement. Put simply we are all about building a movement of young Australians who believe our voices should be heard! We are a team of young people ourselves coming from all different backgrounds, some of us really engaged in politics, others not so much. (read the bios to find out who’s who!) But one thing we do really care about is youth empowerment, and we believe that one of the best ways to do this is to be an active voice in politics. But something has to change! Because last elections 800,000 young people (1830 years of age) didn’t vote. This was enough to have been the deciding factor in 46 electorates! Because young people aren’t voting politicians are less likely to make decisions that reflect youth voice, so we are encouraging young people (including us!) to become part of the solution.
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How are we going to change things? We want to change our current situation (turn those stats around!) and build this movement together in three ways, so here goes… Firstly, we want to, obviously, get more young people 18-30 years of age to vote. We want to get young people to pledge to vote now before the elections so we can take the numbers out to politicians to let them know that young people are going to be voting these elections and it’s time to start listening to youth voice! Secondly, we want to make it easier for you to get informed and understand how your vote has an impact. Sometimes it can be difficult to wade through heaps of information out there on politics and it is easy to just give up, but we don’t want youth to do that, so we are setting out to make information easily accessible and understandable. One of the ways we will be doing this is having a youth blog that will cover a wide range of issues that affect young Aussies. Because we are non-partisan this will cover a variety of informed views and give you links and sources so you can explore things further. Finally, we will be calling on politicians to place greater value on the views of young people. It’s important that our voices are
heard and that politicians start to pay more attention to what young people are saying. That’s one of the reasons why we believe sharing statistics on how many young people didn’t vote and how their vote could have changed outcomes in 46 electorates is important - youth vote can make a difference. The hope is that when politicians know this and know youth are engaged in politics they will start to listen more!
How can you get involved? First of all PLEDGE TO VOTE and get your friends (and anyone and everyone else between 18-30 years) too! This is the most important one because the more of us pledging to vote the more likely it is that politicians will sit up and pay attention! It’s super easy and you can do it right now here.
cial media and want to get all social media savvy with us, Y Vote Collectives - this one’s for the champions out there, you’ll get to drive Y Vote initiatives in your university, workplace or community, support officers - if you’ve got a skill in a specific area get in touch, graphic design and all that jazz, electorate workshops - if you are between 18-25 years and you are passionate about youth having a voice in your local community and want to increase your skills in project management then this is one for you, get in touch and we could look at running a workshop in your area. Even if you don’t feel you fit in one of the above, get in touch and we might be able to sort something out that suits you! The more young people on board with this movement the more successful it will be. Together we can empower one another and get our voices heard!
You can also get involved with Y Vote by becoming one of our social networkers - this one’s for all those who lurrvve so-
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SACOSS State Budget Submission The South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) recently launched their State Government Budget Submission, which YACSA also contributed towards. It included recommendations for tackling the state’s unemployment crisis. SACOSS’s budget submission reinforced the need to urgently address the under and unemployment of young South Australians, who are struggling to get their foot in the door. You can read the full State Budget Submission here, but below is an overview of the issues affecting young people and the recommendations put forth by SACOSS.
? So, what can be done by the worrying figures of youth unemployment? SACOSS highlighted the following recommendations in their submission: • Immediately double the intake of trainee and graduate positions to 400 per year under the Public Sector’s Jobs4Youth programm • Re-introduce the payroll tax exemption for wages paid to apprentices and trainees • Fund the establishment of a working group tasked with developing links with South Australian employers to support the job creation and employment of young South Australians
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Even Better, Together Remember that survey about youth engagement we asked you to complete late last year? Well, the findings from have since become a fully fledged resource for the Government of South Australia. The Hon. Zoe Bettison MP, Minister for Youth launched Better Together - a Practical Guide to Effective Engagement with Young People at our annual networking event, Netfest. If you’d like to see how your insights were used you can find the whole resource here.
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©Disney Pixar: Youth Monster’s University National Week (NYW)
is just around the corner, but this year you might notice some changes in the event. As part of the 2015 Federal Budget, the Australian Government has cut the amount it spends on youth engagement. This spelled bad news for the National Youth Week, which will no longer be organised at a federal level. In 2016, the states and territories will be organising their own local NYW activities. As of 30 June 2017, the Australian Government has said there will be no money for any National Youth Week activities. So unless there is a change in future funding commitments, this may be one of the last National Youth Weeks you attend. The theme for NYW this year is “My Community is Your Community”, and is a celebration of our cultural diversity. In our next issue we will let you know of some of the events organised by local YACs and service providers in South Australia. In the meantime, if you’re as outraged about the cuts as we are, contact us and let us know your thoughts.
Connected to YOUth The Minister for Youth, the Hon. Zoe Bettison MP launched the government’s new youth strategy, Connected to YOUth 2016 at Netfest. This new strategy builds on the priorities of the It Starts with YOUth resource launched in 2015, taking into consideration feedback from the sector and young people. You can find the whole resource here. We’d love to hear what you think about the Government’s latest initiative.
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The Hon. Zoe Bettison MP with Board Member Jemma Taylor
Handy Hansard Hansard is the official report of the debates and proceedings of the SA parliament. We like it because we can see who’s been saying what about youth affairs and young people. You can access it yourself and search for terms, but we look at it regularly so we will provide a snapshot for you in this section of the newsletter. In February, Mr Duluk MP used the Adjournment Debate as an opportunity to speak to the issue of youth unemployment, which he believes can be remedied by embedding entrepreneurial skills in the South Australian curriculum. You can read parts of his speech below or you can view the full transcript here. As we hear on the news, almost daily, South Australian young people are at risk of unemployment. The current unemployment rate of youth in South Australia is about 15.6 per cent; higher in our northern suburbs. This is appalling, to say the least, and reflects terribly on this current government. I feel for all parents of young people who, after all their hard work putting their children through high school, see children facing unemployment.
Business people, academics and ordinary South Australians want to see our schools teach young people how to think up solutions for the future. Young people have the drive and energy. They have an understanding of technology like no other generation. They know what services they would like to buy, what products are good, and which trend is on and which is not. They are the best people to drive new businesses. Let's teach our young people how to prosper, how to get an idea off the ground and what to do, and let's do all we can to reduce unemployment and the brain drain in South Australia.
Imagine teachers and schools showing young South Australians how to be entrepreneurial, showing by word and deed how to think up new ideas and reach niche markets and opportunities. Imagine young people in South Australian schools starting up businesses with ideas that suit their personalities and qualities, therefore keeping them out of the 15.6 per cent of unemployed youth and reversing and stemming the brain drain of our best and brightest across so many fields. We see on a daily basis that young South Australians are leaving this state. As we head into O’Week at the beginning of the academic year, there are hundreds of young South Australians who graduated here last year who are beginning their further education and job prospects in another state and another city.
What better training and breeding ground for our next generation of small business owners than in our schools? Our young people often get their first job in small businesses such as local bakeries, takeaway restaurants and fruit and vegie shops. All those local small businesses are great training grounds for many young South Australians and, of course, this is the training ground that leads to people starting their own business.
Youth under and unemployment is a complicated issue with many factors at play. YACSA has identifed the jobs crisis as a priority in the next 12 months, and we will be advocating and campaigning for this issue in the lead up to the federal election.
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Opportunities The Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment (RYPEN) is now being held for rural students, including those from the Riverland, Broken Hill and Sunraysia distrists at Lake Cullulleraine. RYPEN is a fantastic opportunity for young people aged 14-17 years to develop their leadership, problem solving, advocacy and public speaking skills while meeting like-minded people. This program is free to all participants. This rural program will be held on the weekend of April 8-10. Applications to district close March 17. Completed application forms to be sent to ryla9520@gmail.com
Do you have a lived experience of gender diversity? Do you have patience, kindness, a non-judgemental attitude and a desire to help others? Be a part of a new volunteer service in a not-for-profit, non-government setting. TransGuidance are looking for trans and gender diverse people who are willing to contribute their time (minimum 1.5 hours per month) on a voluntary basis, to help those seeking support, information and a listening ear. Volunteers will be trained for their roles at no cost to themselves. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Stephanie Russel at scrussell56@gmail.com
Do you want to see your opportunity for young people
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here, or do you have an idea for content you’d like to see in The Scoop? Get in touch with us at yacsa@yacsa.com.au.
Opportunities
EVERYDAY SKILLS Are you 18 - 25 years old and interested in learning more about cooking and nutrition, improving your health and wellbeing, navigating your community or managing your money? The Everyday Skills is comprised of four topics over three weeks each, and runs for a total of 12 weeks. Starting February 5th, the program will be held every Friday at 11am. To register your interest for the group or for more information contact Streetlink on 8202 5950
Applications are now open for young people age 12-25 to join the Australia Refugee Association (ARA) 2016 Youth Advisory Committee. The ARA Youth Advisory Committee is a group of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds who come together as a diverse group to share their voice, skills and knowledge with the Australian Refugee Association. Members will represent other young people, provide advice, recommendations and share ideas to ensure ARA can respond, address and deliver programs of interest and need to the young people they work with. For more information or to apply contact Judy Schembri on 8354 2951 or judy.schembri@ausref.net
Are you aged 12-15 and wanting to take control of your drug and alcohol use? Street SMART (Self Management And Recovery Training) is a free support group that allows young people to discuss strategies and solutions with other young people that have similar goals. Meetings are respectful, confidential and non-judgmental. Date: Wednesdays Start Time: 1:00PM Finish time: 2:00PM Event Location: Streetlink Youth Health Service For more information call 8202 5950 or visit the Streelink Facebook page.
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