The Moreton Bay Re-engagement Forum and Expo was held on the 11th of November, 2008 organised by the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland Inc. (YANQ) in conjunction with the Caboolture Area Youth Service (CAYS), Deception Bay Community Youth Programs (DBCYP), Kidz Youth Community (KYC) Consultancy and the Salvation Army Youth Outreach Service (SAYOS).

This report describes how the event came about, how it was planned and how well it achieved its aims. YANQ and our event partners hope that the document will be useful to anyone planning similar events in the future (in the Moreton Bay region or elsewhere).

 Download the report of the Moreton Bay Re-engagement Forum & Expo here 1.31 Mb .

The report was written for YANQ by Caroline Woods.

Photos from the Moreton Bay Re-engagement Forum & Expo (held November 11, 2008) have recently been uploaded to YANQ's Flickr page.  You can find them at http://tinyurl.com/44f87p.

BAP, a Hip Hop Group from Caboolture performed their song 'The School of Hard Knocks' at the Moreton Bay Re-engagement Forum & Expo on November 11, 2008.

According to young people who attended the Moreton Bay Re-engagement Forum and Expo "fear of violence, being picked on, pressure, disappointment and pointlessness" are some of the major concerns relating to attending or returning to school.

new Transitions Vol 12. N^o. 1, 2008

In January 2008, as part of the Re-engagement Project YANQ put out a call for papers under the topic, From Disengaged to Re-engaged - Young People's Right to Education and Training.  Simultaneously we we also invited young people to submit their ideas via the 'Re-engage This!' multimedia competition.  The outcome of these initiatives is this special, public edition of newTransitions ...

.. and Notes on Terminology in the Sector

YANQ is currently conducting research into the issue of young people's disengagement and reengagement with education and training in Queensland.  As part of this project, attendees at the March meeting for the Multicultural Youth Network of Queensland (MYNQ) were presented with draft copies of a survey tool designed to collect data from and about the multicultural sector to gauge need and opinion on reengagement research and advocacy. While the main purpose of disseminating the draft survey through the MYNQ group was to obtain feedback from the attendees on the tool itself, the MYNQ group also discussed YANQ's reengagement project in general. The following is an outline of the MYNQ group's comments, relating both to the survey tool, and to the topic in general.

Since the Queensland Government first proposed the Education & Training Reforms for the Future (ETRF) YANQ has written a number of papers on the topic of young people disengaged (or at risk of) from education and training.

From Disengaged to Re-engaged: Young People's Right to Education & Training

Over the next 12 months (starting in December 2007) YANQ will be undertaking this 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.

During 2006, the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland noticed an increase in the number of organisations and youth workers contacting it to raise concerns about the level of support available for young people who were not involved in education or work.

In response, YANQ undertook this small research project to investigate these concerns and to assess the level and nature of support that is available for young people who are disengaged from education and work. The research focused specifically on young people aged between 12 to 18.

A summary of programs relevant to young people, 12-18, who are not participating in education or training and who are unemployed. 

The aim of this document is to give a brief overview of the range of publicly funded youth services that are particularly relevant to young people that are not participating in education, training or work.