There is a silent epidemic taking hold in Australia today. It has been linked to heart disease, premature and low birth weights, and poor general health. "The impact of oral disease on people's every day lives is subtle and pervasive, influencing eating, sleep, work and social roles. The prevalence and reoccurrences of these impacts constitutes a silent epidemic." (Australia's National Oral Health Plan 2004-2013)

Break the silence. You have the opportunity to stop it - but you need to speak up!  From 13 September - 7 October 2010, officers from the Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council (CS&H ISC) will be visiting 7 regional locations throughout Australia to hear your views on how you can incorporate oral health care into your daily client care.

Message from Graham Martin, Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Queensland

If you know of someone who self-injures, is 18-25, lives around Brisbane, and is really serious about trying to stop their self- injury, we are offering a course of 10 free therapy sessions starting this month. Participants will be reimbursed expenses and something toward their time. We ran a trial last year, and anecdotally the results were very good, but the numbers were too small for us to make statistical sense. So we are attempting the program again, with Ethics approval from the University of Queensland.

Family Planning Queensland (FPQ) education service invites Brisbane region service providers who work with young parents to participate in a professional development opportunity. This session will share the findings from the FPQ young parent project (see below) with workers. It will also provide information about STIs and contraception, including current statistics about sexual health and young people.

The national depression initiative beyondblue has launched a new book that aims to help young people make the right choices in their treatment for depression. The resource is also useful for those who are family members or carers of young people with depression. Called A guide to what works for depression in young people, it has been written by four researchers at the Orygen Youth Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, and can be downloaded free of charge from the beyondblue website.

The Body Image and Eating Disorders Awareness Week starts in the first week of September. The Eating Disorders Network Queensland are holding a forum specifically for youth educators, showcasing the latest educational packages that promote positive body image and prevent eating disorders. For full details, and to download a registration form, go to www.womhealth.org.au.

The Eating Disorders Association resource centre are organising a photoshoot for the youth magazine "consume" and to promote Body Image and Eating Disorders Awareness Week on Saturday the 11th of September 2010. The Youth Magazine 'Consume', will be printed in 2011 to address youth issues of body image, health, tolerance and personal responsibility. If you would like to be involved in the photoshoot please get in touch with the organisers via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone on 3394 3661. It should be lots of fun!

You can also help inform what goes into "Consume' by filling in a youth survey which closes on the 31st of August, at www.surveymonkey.com/s/consumemagazine

The Minister for Community Services and Housing, Karen Struthers MP, has launched a new campaign encouraging migrants and refugees to consider volunteering to help learn about their community and make connections as they settle into their new homes. Details are available at www.volunteering.qld.gov.au.

Disability receives scant attention to the point of invisibility in much of the extensive literature on child protection, despite suggestions that the prevalence of young people with disability in care is high.

The Social Policy Research Centre has been commissioned by the New South Wales Government to conduct a program evaluation of the NSW Leaving Care Program. The program offers support to young people with disability who are leaving care: transition planning, case management, accommodation, vocational opportunities and skills development, a mentoring service and community participation.

Australia’s first Youth Led Convention will bring together the top young leaders from Australia’s preeminent youth led organisations for the first time. Over a weekend in Canberra the attendees will develop and gain valuable skills through high quality workshops delivered by leading professionals in key knowledge areas required for running an organisation.

Community Door has recently launched its new social networking spaces. Think Facebook, but for work. YANQ will be working closely with QCOSS on the youth-specific community networking spaces, and you can take part.

As part of Mission Australia's research into what young people are concerned about, they also released this paper, Hearing Directly from Young Australians.

This publication focuses on the responses of three more vulnerable groups of young people – those who were homeless, inout-of-home care, or involved in the juvenile justice system. Young people who are homeless, in out-of-home care or in juvenile justice can be vulnerable in a number of areas which are fundamental to wellbeing, including meaningful relationships, educational achievement, secure housing, physical and mental wellbeing and financial security. This publication provides background on these young people, hears directly from them and makes some policy recommendations for enhancing their wellbeing.  Download the report here.

CREATE Foundation is asking for youth workers, community members, foster carers, case workers, government, other sector workers and young people to pledge their support for their “What’s the Plan?” campaign. The campaign highlights the fact that 65% of young people leaving care do not have a leaving care plan.

To find out more and to pledge your support, please go to http://www.create.org.au/pledge-your-support

Community organisations wishing to host National Youth Week (1 to 10 April 2011) events across the state are encouraged to apply for a share of grants funding totalling $70,000.  Grants will be provided to support events and assist young people and the broader community to celebrate the achievements and contributions of young Queenslanders aged 12 to 25 years.

Additional information is available by phoning (07) 3008 8625. Applications are due 4 October.  Download the information paper and submission form here.

Insights into the concerns of young Australians: Making sense of the numbers is a new report released recently by Mission Australia's Research & Social Policy unit.

In 2009 Mission Australia conducted its eighth annual National Survey of Young Australians, the largest of it's kind in Australia. The survey asked young people aged 11 to 24 years about what they value, their concerns, where they go for advice and support and who they admire.

The Closing the Gap Clearinghouse maintained by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), are looking for more subject specialists to join their panel of experts who will conduct formal assessments of research and evaluations to determine the quality of evidence. A payment of between $150 and $500 will be provided for each assessment depending on the length of the document. Specialists’ contributions to the development of the evidence will be formally acknowledged on the Clearinghouse website.

ZigZag is inviting young women to come together in a safe space to talk with each other about how sexual violence impacts on relationships.

Date: Friday 10th September 2010

Time: 10am—3.30pm

Venue: Zig Zag, 575 Old Cleveland Road Camp Hill

RSVP – Monday 6th September

Please advise of any special dietary needs or if childcare or transport is a problem and we can see what might be possible.

If you have any questions at all please call and have a chat with Adela or Jane on 3843 1823.

Catherine Branson recently gave a speech entitled "A Fair Chance for Every Child: the right to survival and development" which concluded with:

"It is almost 20 years since Australia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. While most children in Australia enjoy the full range of human rights, we are aware that there are significant groups of vulnerable children and young people for whom adequate human rights protection remains a difficult challenge.

QCOSS is collaborating with UQ School of Social Work and Human Services and Lifeline Community Care Queensland on a study about Newly Qualified Workers (NQW) in the Community Services Sector. The study will examine the professional support and development needs of NQWs to improve understanding of what works to make the transition to practice post-graduation a positive experience. The study team defines Newly Qualified Workers as workers who are in their first year of community services practice following graduation from a CERT IV, Diploma or Degree level qualification in a community services field. Workers with prior work experience are eligible to participate as long as they have completed a community services qualification since August 1, 2009.

"Australia can do better when it comes to protecting children’s rights"

President of the Australian Human Rights Commission Catherine Branson QC, has today reiterated her call for Australia to go further in protecting the fundamental human rights of children.

Delivering the annual ‘Rights of the Child’ lecture for Save the Children in Canberra tonight, President Branson said that in the nearly 20 years since Australia had ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, most children in Australia enjoyed the full range of human rights, but that significant groups of vulnerable children and young people still lacked adequate human rights protection.

“Australia can do a better job of protecting these children’s fundamental human rights,” Ms Branson said.

Despite the fact that education systems have been heavily investing in technology since the early 1980s, international indicators on technology uptake and use in education are missing. This book, "Assessing the effects of ICT in Education" aims to provide a basis for the design of frameworks, the identification of indicators and existing data sources, as well as gaps in areas needing further research. Download the study here.

One in four young Australians aged 16–24 years had a mental disorder in 2007, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.  Anxiety disorders were the most common, affecting 15% of young people, with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder the most commonly experienced Anxiety disorder (8%).Substance Use disorders affected 13% of young people with Harmful Use of Alcohol the most common Substance Use Disorder (9%).

FYA Media Release, Wednesday 11th August  "Australian students call for a bigger say on school education"

Seven thousand young people across Australia have had their say in Tell Us, the country’s biggest national student survey on school education. The survey results, released today by The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) reveal that secondary students want a more active role and a greater voice in their schooling.

This is the fifteenth annual report of the Victorian Child Death Review Committee, an independent, multidisciplinary ministerial advisory body that responds to deaths within the Child Protection population. Read about the inquiry, and download the report here.

In the lead up to the federal election the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition has been lobbying to have some important issues brought to the forefront of debate. AYAC has brought together a brief outline of the key issues we’ll be focussing on for the federal election.  Download their election statement here.

Calling all young people and families!  Our region’s biggest careers & community festival for young people with a disability, the Moreton School Transition Expo is on again for 2010!

Friday, 10th September, 10am-2pm, Westfalen Parklands, Dunlop St, Collingwood Park (Off Duncan St)

Challenge Employment invites you to be part of this huge FREE event showcasing the range of employment, training & community access options for young people with a disability in the Ipswich region.

This study has been conducted for the Australian Crime Commission's National Indigenous Intelligence Task Force (NIITF). An objective of the NIITF is to conduct research on intelligence and information co-ordination and identification of good practice in the prevention, detection and responses to violence and child abuse in Indigenous communities. To read more about the study, and to download the report, click here.

Media Release: Isolated Kids to get up to $3.4 million support: Telstra Foundation

2 August 2010 - The Telstra Foundation today announced that support of up to $3.4 million over three years will be made available in new grants for organisations that support isolated children and young people across Australia. The grants aim to help socially and geographically isolated children to build social connections and support networks, and improving access to services in education, health and wellbeing.

The Alyawarr are leading a gathering of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Alice Springs during 6-9 July 2010 to protest against racism and the Intervention, and discuss ways of approaching these issues. They seek your support.

Three years after the Intervention was hurriedly implemented without consultation, on the back of the Little Children Are Sacred report, and without incorporating the vast majority of the report's recommendations, there is little evidence that the Intervention has achieved or will achieve its stated outcomes. The Alyawarr people are protesting against the Intervention as it has worsened their lives and community, and is clearly a racist policy.

Come along to the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Information Session and find out how you can make a difference in a developing country. AusAID’s Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Program supports skilled young Australians (18-30) who want to live, work and make a positive change in Asia, the Pacific and Africa.  To find out where your local session is and register, visit: www.ayad.com.au

‘Where are you going with that?’ is a question often asked by young people who are engaged by organisations and government in consultation.  They want to know where their views are going and whether or not they have a real opportunity to impact on change. This report by the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) is the culmination of an exploration of young people’s inclusion in decision making, their experiences and their perceptions  about to what  level their ideas have been heeded by policy makers.

Mercy Family Services will be hosting a 10 week program, of 3 hours per week, on Parenting for Men, starting in August. It will cover stages of development 0-12 years; aspects of development; understanding attachment; and trauma on a young brain.  For more details, please contact Mercy Family Services on 07 3280 8000.

The ElectionWIRE site is now live and calling on all young people to submit videos about issues that important to them! Check it out at: http://youtube.com/electionWIRE. Read the related media release here.

This survey examines the progress made in 11 local authority areas in developing new arrangements to integrate the work of various youth support agencies.  Find the details here: http://bit.ly/aG90gG

The Health and Community Services Workforce Council hosted a career promotion workshop on Day 2 of the Workforce Innovation Conference with Isabel Osuna Gatty (Community Services & Health Industry Skills Council) and Sarah White (Health & Community Services Workforce Council)? They provided a number of digital media tips you can make use of in your next promotional campaign. Here is a brief summary.

It is time again for the 139 Club Group Silent Art Auction.  This year it is entitled "Off the Streets and into the Arts: An Exhibition of Artwork from Brisbane's Homeless".  The money raised supports the artist as well as keeps this group painting, laughing and enjoying each Monday with a hop, skip and a jump and a whistle as they head to the Club to meet their friends and create some self esteem and Joy.

Please come and donate and show your support we have an awesome venue, great food and champagne with a fantastic local band so check out the invite and put it in your diary as a don't miss event.

Young Regional Queensland Artists Receive Career Boost - Successful applicants for Starburst Regional Mentoring Program announced

Youth Arts Queensland Chief Executive Officer Julie Woodward today announced the successful applicants for Starburst Regional Mentoring Program 2010. The 22 young artists and artsworkers from regional Queensland have been accepted to develop a creative project with guidance from a mentor between July and November this year.  “Starburst provides a unique career development opportunity for young Queensland creatives in the regions,” says Woodward. “Through Starburst, they get the boost they need to create art in their local community with an industry professional or organisation by their side. This still doesn’t happen often enough and we are very excited to see what they will produce in the next few months.”

The International Year of Youth commences today (August 12th) on the United Nations annual Day of Youth.  It celebrates and focusses on the value of young people around the world. Since more than a quarter of the world's population are young people, this is a valuable cause.  Read the United Nations report on the International Year of Youth here.

Count Me In! is an enrol to vote activity being run by UNYA and supported by the AYF. Did you know – over 1 million eligible Australians aren’t enrolled to vote? And one third of those are aged 18-24? Are you one of them? Being enrolled to vote gives you the opportunity to have a say about the direction of Australia and issues that matter to you. Once an election is called, you won’t have much time to enrol. Once election roll is closed, if you’re not on it, you can’t vote. So don’t wait! Enrol now at www.aec.gov.au/enrol

Even if you have already enrolled – are you sure your details are correct? Check your enrolment now at www.aec.gov.au/check UNYA Electoral Ambassadors will be out and about this weekend, encouraging young people to enrol to vote – find out where they will be at “Count Me In!”

Young people need better support systems in place to assist them with staying in education according to the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC), Australia’s peak body representing young people and the youth sector.  AYAC have called for greater investment in programs that work with young people at risk of disengaging from - or who have already disengaged from - education. ‘For many young people sustaining their educational career isn’t easy’

ANNOUNCING THE LAUNCH OF MHW 2010 SHORT STORY COMPETITION

Mental Health Association Queensland is delighted to announce the launch of the MHW 2010 Short Story Competition. All entries are to be based on the following theme for 2010:

Theme: "Exploring your dreams .. Living your passions"

An independent judging panel will be seeking works of short fiction that explore this theme encompassing innovative ideas and creative expression. The winning entries will best capture the theme. There are three categories, for primary school, high school, and over 18's. Download an entry form here.

This report details an evaluation of the education and training arrangements for young people in the youth justice system in the United Kingdom. The evaluation examined the education and training arrangements for three types of young people: those with a high likelihood of offending, those transferring into and between secure establishments, and those transitioning from secure establishments to the community. The report illustrates good practice and makes recommendations for improvement.

The Queensland LNP has released a discussion paper entitled "Early Intervention to Protect Children".  Download the paper here.

Wish you could participate in a national conference specifically aimed at passionate and engaged tertiary students who want to make difference? Well look no further and make history by registering as a delegate as part of United Nations Youth Association's first, inaugural National Youth Summit!

The National Youth Summit will take place in University of Technology, Sydney from 29 September- 2 October. This four day conference will bring together around 200 of Australia's most engaged and intelligent tertiary minds, will expose students to experts in the field of Human Rights, and will allow for designated policy workshops where you will be able to discuss matters of domestic and international importance with the aim of developing a "Youth Declaration". The theme for this year's conference is Human Rights, which will be broken down into smaller focus themes including Conflict, Good Governance, Gender Equality and Minorities.

Recent research published in the Medical Journal of Australia (May 2010) found that young Indigenous Australians (aged 16 to 20) had a staggering eight times the amount of tooth decay as non-Indigenous Australians of the same age, and 11 times as much gum disease.  The Northern Territory Government, in association with the Australian Government, has committed to funding an extra dental van based at Alice Springs in order to combat this health issue. Over the past decade two dental vans have serviced the remote Indigenous communities in Central Australia; the addition of a third van means that many more people, including youth, will receive dental care.

To read the Medical Journal of Australia article on the state of Indigenous young people’s dental health, follow this link.

The Department of Education and Training has a grants program catered specifically to Community Services.  The grants can be used for training and mentoring initiatives, and are currently open for applications.  Click here to see an overview of the programs, and for more details, contact:

Kim Smoother 
Workforce Skilling Officer (South Queensland) | Community Services Skilling Plan |
Centre for Managed Strategies | Department of Education and Training (DET) |
108 Parker Street, Maroochydore QLD 4558 | PO Box 5252 SCMC Nambour QLD 4560 |
Phone: 1800 835 866 or 07 5459 3918 | Mobile: 0408 066 558 | Fax: 07 5459 3973 |
e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

These articles appeared in the June edition of Youth Studies Australia.

• Promise or practice? Student participation in low socioeconomic communities - Rosalyn Black
• Social inclusion: Is this a way forward for young people, and should we go there? - Kathy Edwards
• Who to be? Generations X and Y in civil society online - Hilary Yerbury
• Finding voice: Learnings and insights from a participatory media project with recently arrived Afghan young men with refugee backgrounds by Anthony Rodríguez-Jiménez & Sandra Gifford
• The mouse that dared to roar¹: Youths and the Camden controversy - Ryan Al-Natour
• Cyberbullying: Experiences, impacts and coping strategies as described by Australian young people - Megan Price & John Dalgleish

Brisbane City Council currently has several grant programs available.  Areas include Community Grants, Community Facility Grants, Environmental Grants, Native Wildlife Carer Funding, Cultivating Community Gardens Grants, and Community Support Funding Program.  Applications for these grant programs close in late August and mid-September.  For more details on what they cover and how to apply, go to www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/grants.

New on the Family Planning Queensland website, as a result of a collaboration between students in the Creative Industries Faculty of the University of Southern Queensland and FPQ: The video series, “What young people know, like and need: Sexual health, blood borne viruses and youth friendly services”, shows young people talking about what they think is important about sexual health, blood borne viruses and youth friendly services.

The script for these videos was developed based on what young people told FPQ during focus groups that were conducted in 2008-09 in Ipswich, Logan and Central Queensland. The fantastic part about these videos is that FPQ has collaborated with young people to make this resource!

The video series is now available to watch on FPQ's “Working with young people” website (www.fpq.com.au/youthproject). There is also a link to the site from the FPQ website under What's New.

New worker resource: Family-based intervention important in preventing alcohol problems among youth

Those working at the frontline dealing with young people experiencing alcohol-related harm will find this new resource of practical interest. Called Preventing alcohol harms in young people: Family-based interventions, the initiative is a joint project between NSW Health’s Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Office (MHDAO), the Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies (NADA) and the Australian Drug Foundation (ADF).

The NYW Poster Competition is now open! First Prize is $2000, and the runner up receives $1000! All the details can be found at youthweek.com, and the competition is open to young people aged 12-25.