The UN High-level Panel on Global Sustainability has presented its report to the Secretary-General on 30 January 2012 in Addis Ababa, in which it has established a new blueprint for sustainable development and low-carbon prosperity. The Panel's final report, "Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing", contains 56 recommendations to put sustainable development into practice and to mainstream it into economic policy as quickly as possible.
One of these is calling on governments to actively include the voices of young people, future generations, in real political decision-making processes.
To commemorate the national apology to the Stolen Generations, Reconciliation Queensland holds an annual Twilight Walk event in Brisbane. When: 2pm Sunday 12 February
Where: Walkers to meet at St James College, 201 Boundary St, Brisbane, with free barbecue and concert at the State Library at 5pm. Read more.
QCF invites expressions of interest from Queensland nonprofits delivering services to local communities in regional, rural and remote Queensland seeking funding for capacity building activities including: Evaluation and planning, Staff and volunteer training, and Information technology support systems and training. Six to eight grants of up to $20,000 each will be offered. Read more.
In February 2001, The Australian Federal Government amended the TransTasman Travel Agreement (TTA) 1973 (Cth). Growing anecdotal evidence from social workers and elders involved with the provision of services and support to Pacific Islander and Maori communities, suggests that the Amendment has caused detrimental outcomes for non-protected Special Category Visa holders (SCV). In collaboration with Multilink Services Inc. and the Queensland Pacific Islander Workers Network (QPIWN), this study seeks to document the impact of the Amendment from the perspective of Pacific Islander and Maori communities in South East Queensland. This research will form part of a broader project by Multilink Community Services Inc., who is conducting research on behalf of the Community Action for a Multicultural Society network to support policy change.
The Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) needs your help! They are seeking an engaging name for their new website that expresses its functionality, but is also original and catchy.
The winning entry will receive a $50 iTunes voucher.
So what is the new website all about? Well, AYAC is in the development stages of an innovative online portal to assist existing and potential youth-led organisations, helping them to establish and grow and to share experiences and knowledge across the youth led sector.
The aim will be to build an online community for youth led organisations through resources ideas sharing and linking to likeminded young people. The site will connect people, and provide a safe environment for the testing of new ideas and initiatives.
The competition closes 29 February, 2012.
Please send your suggestions through to Emmica at
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along with your full name and phone number.
Council's Community Grants Program provides opportunities for not-for-profit organisations and individuals to gain funding or in-kind support for their initiatives in sport and recreation, arts and cultural pursuits, in community events or programs, or in the environmental area. Read more.
Since its introduction in 2007, there has been much debate over the effectiveness of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) in improving the quality of life in remote indigenous communities. Public discussion on using good evidence for policymaking has so far not encouraged Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin to improve the quality of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) data. Given the failure rate of policymaking in this area, these data deficits are problematic.
Australian Policy Online considers the impacts of the Federal Government's Intervention in the Northern Territory in this article by Eva Cox that looks at the data collected to date. Click here to read more.
The Queensland Government 'Queensland Great' awards are now open for nominations, recognising the work of outstanding individuals in the Queensland community. Nominations close on the 9th March 2012, with recipients announced at a special ceremony as part of Queensland Week celebrations (2-11 June 2012).
The Brisbane Northside Refugee Network (NRN) is a forum in which refugee groups and services working with people of refugee background can share information, build relationships, and establish collaborative partnerships. The NRN is convened by Brisbane City Council, with four meetings in 2012. Meetings usually have a theme chosen by NRN participants and there is always an opportunity for information-sharing. Information relevant to refugee communities and work with refugees is also distributed by email to those who register for Council's information clearing-house.
This Australian Clearinghouse of Youth Studies article looks at alternative ways of re-engaging young people in education and training.Alternative education programs are one way of responding to the disengagement of young people from mainstream schools.
In 2010, YDAS created a resource called 'Planning Your Way', for young people with disabilities who want to have more control over their planning and supports.... and their life! See the video below for one of the stories from this program. For more information about YDAS: http://www.ydas.org.au Like YDAS on Facebook: http://www.facebook/Ydas-Vic Follow YDAS on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/YDASvic
National Youth Week is happening April 13-22 this year!
Its a great opportunity to celebrate and showcase young people's contribution to Brisbane. Its also an opportunity to take advantage of media interest to highlight your service, engage young people in local discussions about issues effecting them, and to offer activities with young people to develop their skills, networks and sense of identity.
Hosted by the Domestic Violence Research Centre, the Queensland Violence Against Women Conference will be held in Brisbane in August. Further details will be provided in the next few weeks. Contact Fiona Stait or Amanda Whelan on 3217 2544 or
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New research commissioned by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute is being undertaken in Melbourne and Launceston, looking the resources needed to provide stable housing outcomes to young people recovering from mental illness.
This project has three key aims. The primary aim is to investigate the role of informal community resources in promoting stable housing outcomes and enhancing social inclusion for young people recovering from a mental illness. The second aim is to identify the neighbourhood factors that potentially moderate the risk of homelessness for youth in recovery. The third aim is to explore how housing policy interventions can strengthen the array of informal community resources available to support stable housing for youth in recovery.
To read the positioning paper for this project, click here.
Compass ABC TV is looking for 6 young people to make a Holy Switch. We are looking for questioning young adults (18-23), who are part of a family who puts faith at the heart of daily life.
For two weeks (between March and May, 2012) these young people will take up the challenge to live a totally different life with a host family from another faith.
Director Varcha Sidwell, who also brought The Abbey and The Mission series to ABC TV’sCompass believesHoly Switchpresents a unique invitation, “It’s not often that young Australians are given a chance to explore the deeper issues in their lives, beyond the next celebrity scandal or latest fad- to be deeply challenged to discover new insights, not only about themselves but Australia as well".
Holy Switch will be 3 x ½ hour TV series to screen on ABC1 in late 2012/early 2013 and is being produced by local Tasmanian based production company Roar Film.
We are putting the call out for applications now, and Varcha Sidwell is available for interactive discussion or private interview, or there may be other ways in which you think we might be able to get the word out there to young people who might be excited by an opportunity to explore their faith in an unusual, new way!
QCF invites expressions of interest from Queensland nonprofits delivering services to local communities in regional, rural and remote Queensland seeking funding for capacity building activities including:
Evaluation and planning
Staff and volunteer training
Six to eight grants of up to $20,000 each will be offered.
Expressions of Interest close Wednesday 29 February 2012.
FIND OUT MORE: For application forms and funding criteria www.qcf.org.au, T: (07) 3360 3854 or E:
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MDA Employment & Training is continuing their partnership with the Caboolture Community Adult Literacy Group Inc, who will be delivering another FREE English language, literacy and numeracy class at MDA’s Northside office at Windsor, from February 14th. This is a course open to people from refuge and migrant backgrounds living in a Northside suburb of Brisbane. To book your place, please contact Ben Christie on
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or 3357 5786.
The Hilltop Hoods Initiative is a $10,000 grant funded by Hilltop Hoods and APRA to help emerging Australian Hip Hop artists to manufacture, market and release an album. In addition to $10,000 in funding, the winner will receive legal advice courtesy of David Vodika and Media Arts Lawyers which can be used for general legal or specific career advice, plus a Shure Microphone prize pack. To top it off, the successful applicant will be invited to showcase at Song Summit, 26 - 28 May 2012 and will also have a support contact at APRA to help with a career guidance plan.
A ‘General Parenting’ Group for young Murri mums is being offered at YFS commencing Thursday 9th February - Thursday 15th March 2012.
Parents are invited to attend this 6 weeks program, getting together with other parents to share knowledge, experiences, information and resources in a friendly, non judgmental and safe atmosphere empowering parents to support their children to develop resilience, positive self image, independence and good decision making skills.
The Digital Inclusion Initiative (DII) is an action program that aims to implement a whole-of-community approach to community building and economic development, using new technologies as tools to provide equal access for all residents in disadvantaged communities. Visit the Initiative's website here to find out more about one of the most pressing areas driving disadvantage in the modern age.
The rationale of the ‘prevention’ approach is to anticipate and mitigate the likelihood of negative outcomes.
This report argues that in Australia, like in other rich countries, the design and implementation of prevention programs has tended to be ‘top-down’, focused on cost-effectiveness and economic return, with little consultation with target groups (including children) and little debate on the values framework within which prevention programs operate. It discusses both technical and theoretical critiques of prevention approaches and argues that new inclusive or participatory models need to be developed along the existing science-driven models to overcome them.
Tune In Not Out (or as their friends call them – TINO) provides24hr TV for life’s challenges from mental to sexual health. Tune In Not Out brings videos, factsheets, real stories and blogs from across Australia into one central point for young people to explore. It's an awesome resource, and we really recommend it. Check it out at http://www.tuneinnotout.com
Where: MacIntosh Island park, Main Beach Parade, Surfers Paradise Look for lots of CREATE balloons! Time: 10:30am – 3pm RSVP: Kelly at CREATE on 07 3317 6020 by Monday 20th February
If you’re aged between 0-25 years and have a care experience then come along to CREATE’s party in the park. It’s a free day with sport games, arts and crafts, face painting, BBQ lunch and lots of fun. It’s a great chance to meet others and learn more about CREATE. You must be a clubCREATE member to come along, but if you’re not we can sign you up over the phone. All young people aged under 18 need to be accompanied by a carer.
The Mental Health Council of Australia www.mhca.org.au is the peak body for mental health in Australia and aims to improve the experience of people who have a mental illness and the people who look after them (family or friends). People from are at a disadvantage in having their voice heard if they do not speak or write English. The MHCA is specifically seeking views of mental health carers from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. The MH Carers Survey is translated into 4 languages Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Greek. The survey is also available in English.
FIND OUT MORE: Go to www.mhca.org.au for copies of the survey, phone or email Linda Rosie, Care Engagement Project Officer on (02) 6285 3100 or email
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Technology is an integral part of social life for today’s teenagers. A new study from Ericsson ConsumerLab examines how teenagers are using technology and devices as everyday tools. Facebook plays an important role, particularly in dating, but text messaging and face-to-face communication are ranked even higher.
UNSW has launched a really exciting new project into looking at the ways websites affect how you think, act and see the world. Visit http://www.uviewtheworld.org.au/ for more details. Pasted below is some info on the project from their website, why not check it out?
"It is almost impossible to exist without the internet these days. More than ever, we are spending time online; for our social lives, entertainment and learning. Because of this, a lot of research is now looking at how the internet affects the way we view the world.
So far, it’s not all good news. In some ways, the internet has a bad reputation when it comes to ‘what is good for you’. A tonne of research has investigated the dark side of online sites and games, particularly the negative effects they can have on people under 18. But we aren’t convinced that’s the whole story.
By taking part in this study you get a chance to help us investigate how websites impact the way you think, behave and interact with those around you! And, all you have to do is play.
To make it worth your while, we’ll throw a $20 voucher your way and you’ll be in the draw for an Apple iPad, an iPod or a $200 JB HiFi voucher if you finish the study! See what's involved here."
Mercy Disability Services will be hosting the free “Embracing a Meaningful Life Expo” to provide a “one stop shop” for information on services for people living with a disability, their families and their carers.
This is also an opportunity for service providers to network and build relationships with other service providers and the wider community.
Insight on SBS television is keen to speak to people about their 'out of home care' experiences. Have you, or anyone you know, had experience with Australia's out of home care system?
Insight, Australia's leading forum for ideas and discussion, is looking at the pros and cons of removing children from their families and placing them in temporary care.
Please contact Sarah at Insight on (02) 9430 3985 or
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The 7th National Housing Conference will be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from 30 October to 2 November 2012.
This year’s conference theme is People, Place and Productivity. The variety of speakers and session streams will be of interest to everyone involved in Australia’s housing and homelessness policy and practice – including governments, non-profit housing and related organisations, tenants, researchers, developers and planners. Click here more more information.
When Occupy Wall Street launched, there were hopes and fears that it would recapitulate the Arab Spring. Those hopes and fears sprang largely from a simple fact: that both OWS and the Arab Spring are characterized in large part by angry, unemployed young people.
As we come to the end of 2011, it’s worth taking note of the fact that stunningly high youth-unemployment numbers are increasingly a global phenomenon — and that this is a new thing, which postdates the financial crisis, and which doesn’t seem to be improving anywhere.
Here are the numbers for a few key Eurozone countries: you can see not only that Spain and Greece have almost unthinkably high youth unemployment approaching 50%, but also that Ireland, in particular, has seen its youth unemployment rate go through the roof since the crisis, from below 10% to over 30%.
The Multicultural Development Association will be delivering its Get Set for Work program (‘Get on Track’) in 2012.
The first group will start on the 13 February and will run 4 days a week over 18 weeks. The program focuses on employability, job-search skills, building hope and confidence, and building on important life skills. It also includes six weeks of accredited training and work experience in hospitality. The group has room for 10 young people who: have arrived in Australia as a migrant or as a refugee, live in a suburb on the southside of Brisbane, aged between 15 and 19 years old and are not currently engaged in training, employment or study.
FIND OUT MORE: Contact Damien West at 0423 561 250 or email
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Local Government elections in Queensland are going to be conducted on Saturday 31 March 2012. Through education and public awareness strategies, the Electoral Commission of Queensland is committed to ensure that all eligible multicultural electors have the opportunity to be active and equal members of the democratic system. The ECQ has provided some information that is key to be able to vote. Find out how voting works and how to enrol here. Don't forget that the electoral roll closes on January 31st.
For further information, contact the Electoral Commission Queensland’s education Program on Ph: 07 30358078 or by email;
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. Also a full telephone and interpreting service is available on 131 450.
Focussing on the role of Indigenous languages in emergent development activity in remote Australia, this report examines the out-of-school language and literacy needs of adolescents and young adults, with a focus on the digital economy. The report has been developed by Bill Fogarty and Inge Kral from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research.
Perspective is a publication dedicated to passions and opinions of young Australians. The aim of the publication is to give a voice to young people with a talent for expressing themselves and who have something to say about the community, country and world they live in. You can read more about Perspective download past editions here.
If you have any questions, or want to make a submission, email Jamila ~
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This report presents data on the people turned away from government-funded specialist homelessness accommodation in 2010-11. It is the final report to be sourced from the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) National Data Collection (NDC). From 1 July 2011, data will be reported from the new Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) collection. The data collected indicate that government-funded specialist homelessness agencies are operating to capacity and are unable to completely meet the demand for accommodation. Some groups, such as families, experience more difficulty than others in obtaining accommodation.
The Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards offers Musicians aged 18 – 30 the chance to leap to the next level, with a trip of a lifetime to The CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival in October 2012. You'll also be offered a professional mentorship with internationally recognised producer, songwriter and engineer Lee Groves, and $5,000 cash.
The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) is a partnership program between Arts Queensland and Gold Coast City Council.RADF provides one-off, short-term, project-based financial assistance to support professional development and employment of artists and cultural workers in regional Queensland and community cultural development activities.
Applications for the next RADF round close on the 24th February 2012.
All applicants are to refer to the Gold Coast City Cultural Development Policy and Strategy prior to making application.
These documents and further information can be found on the Gold Coast City Council Cultural website.
Published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, December 2011
Area-based (or place-based) initiatives often seek to have a whole-of-community impact. This recognises the way in which neighbourhoods can impact upon the health and wellbeing of children and families. Improvements in the community as a whole, such as increased “child-friendliness”, may improve outcomes for children and families.
Measuring the impact of an initiative on an entire community can be challenging. It may take a significant period of time before the impact of an initiative is felt at the community level. It can be difficult to attribute changes in the community directly to a specific initiative. An experimental or quasi-experimental design is the best method to use in order to estimate what the outcomes for children, families and communities would have been in absence of the intervention, however, for community-based agencies, experimental evaluation designs can be difficult to undertake.
Methods that can be used to collect data for the purpose of demonstrating the impact of a community-wide initiative include: surveying a representative sample of the community; key informant interviews and focus groups; using secondary source data; and mixed methods research.
There is a paucity of practical tools to measure many typical community-wide outcomes such as a child-friendly community and community empowerment. Universal tools for these types of outcomes are often viewed as inappropriate as the concepts are highly context specific.
Heywire is a place for young Australians to share stories, ideas and opinions.They are now calling for all young Australians to tell their stories of their lives. You can upload text, video, audio or photos and every story is entered into the Heywire competition. Winning entries get featured on the ABC and winners get an all-expenses-paid-trip to the prestigious Heywire Youth Issues Forum.
In BRISBANE for both a writer's workshop and TWO full performance nights on the 26th of February 2012 by three of Australia's best Slam Poetry performers and workshop facilitotors:
LUKA LESSON The Australian Poetry Slam Champion
Co-director and founder of The Centre for Poetics and Justice launching his first full-length album and book "PLEASE RESIST ME" before travelling to China for the Bookworm Writer's festival and the USA to continue the 'Please Resist Me' launch tour.
JOEL McKERROW Co-director and founder of the Centre for Poetics and Justice, Joel will be launching his book "Beyond Rhetoric: Writings in the tradition of Khalil Gibran" and album "One Foot in the Clay" before he departs for tours of the US, CANADA (The Soles of Australia tour with Michelle Dabrowski), Europe and the UK.
and ALIA GABRES The newest member of the CPJ Co-director team and rising young star of the scene. Alia is currently working on her first collection of poetry entitled 'This Residue of Light: Broken openings, poetry and the like...'
These talented performers and workshop facilitators will be touring the east coast of Australia from the 19th - 26th February, 2012. Don't miss these one-off intimate performance nights. For the budding writers the trio will also be facilitating 'Slam Poetry' workshops for their first time in BRISBANE!
Did you know that practising artists and small cultural organisations can register with AbaF to offer their donors the chance to make tax deductible donations? Learn how at AbaF's Australia Cultural Fund information session on Wednesday, 22 February.
This information session is ideal for practising artists and not-for-profit cultural organisations without DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) status.
Around 700 young people are detained in Queensland's youth detention centres each year. The Commission's Views of Young People in Detention Centres Survey provides an opportunity for young people to share their views and experiences on detention and the youth justice system, particularly on matters concerning their safety and wellbeing. Last year, teachers and the Commission's Community Visitors asked young people in the Brisbane and Cleveland detention centres to do a survey on what they think about their lives in detention.
The findings address issues surrounding admission, a sense of safety, social and health problems, programs and activities, health care, advocacy mechanisms and more.
Download the complete report here (PDF 1804 KB) or view the individual sections to download here.
Animation Basics In animation ‘tweening’ isn’t hanging out with your little sister and her friends at the mall – it’s short for inbeetweening. Marianna Shek will help you brush up on your lingo and introduce you to professional animating tools, After Effects and Flash to help you make pictures move without resorting to a dodgy flipbook.
When: 5:30-7:30pm, 11 Jan Where: Lab 1, The Edge Cost: Free Bookings: Email
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with your name and contact phone number
_______________________________________________
Intro to Music Recording Andrei will take participants through using Lab 3 for recording, editing and mixing over three consecutive workshops. The first week will concentrate on using The Edge’s recording facilities, working with an acoustic artist. Editing will be the focus of the second week, followed by mixing in the final session. Bookings are limited to eight participants.
When: 5.30-7.30pm, 12 Jan (recording), 5.30-7.30pm 19 Jan (editing), 3:30-5:30pm 26 Jan (mixing) Where: Lab 3, The Edge Cost: Free Bookings: Email
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with your name and contact phone number _______________________________________________
Bread and Butter: Comics Edition Garnish your writing, design, illustration and character development skills with the help of the experts from Ashcan. This eight week course is free, but you’ll need to bring your own paper, pencils, x-ray specs* and super-hero costume*. * X-ray specs and costume optional.
When: 1-3pm, second Sunday of each month Where: Lab 1 and 2, The Edge (see weekly details below) Cost: Free Bookings: Email
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with your name and contact phone number
Week 6: Illustrating comics Learn how to use the comic panel to convey meaning , being mindful of the gutter and negative space around the panels. Work through different panel transitions, how to use panel frequency and shape to create timing and pace and incorporate cinemative techniques ie: camera angles, shot types etc.
Facilitator: Darren Fisher When: 1-3pm, 15 Jan Where: Lab 2 _______________________________________________
Intro to Interactive Graphics and Data Visualisation Are you interested in creating interactive and dynamic graphics that respond to user interaction or reflect life data streams from the internet? Processing is a powerful open-source platform that is easy to learn. In this workshop you’ll learn the basics of programming, data visualisation and get acquainted with the Processing development environment.
When: 5:30-7:30pm, 17 Jan Where: Lab 1, The Edge Cost: Free Bookings: Email
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with your name and contact phone number
_______________________________________________
Smartphone Journalism Enabling revolutions and inspiring radical opportunities, smartphones open up instant pathways for sharing stories. In this session we look at the smart-phone as a powerful journalistic device, stepping through how to shoot an interview on a smartphone, record audio and upload geo-located content to the web.
When: 5:30-7:30pm, 24 Jan Where: Lab 1, The Edge Cost: Free Bookings: Email
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with your name and contact phone number
_______________________________________________
Intro to Photography Photography has come a long way since it began 185 years ago. Thoroughly modern Melly Niotakis will take participants through the basics of composition and lighting using point and shoot style digital cameras. In a second serve of basics for photography, Melly will show users the ins-and-outs of exposure, f-stop and focus for DSLR’s.
When: 3:30-5:30pm, 28 Jan Where: Lab 1, The Edge Cost: Free Bookings: Email
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with your name and contact phone number
The 6th World Congress on Family Law and Child Rights will be held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney, Australia, from 17-20 March 2013.
The Commission's Views of Young People in Detention Centres Survey provides an opportunity for young people to share their views and experiences on detention and the youth justice system, particularly on matters concerning their safety and wellbeing. Last year, teachers and the Commission's Community Visitors asked young people in the Brisbane and Cleveland detention centres to do a survey on what they think about their lives in detention.
