Toby Davidson from the Youth Advocacy Centre has done up some info for all of you who may in the course of your work need to get drugs off your premises. http://www.yac.net.au/disposing-of-drugs-legally/

The world of the skatepark can be a daunting and baffling place for many of us; one person who works with youth at skateparks is trying to demystify what she calls ‘these largely unsupervised environments’ and decode the unwritten rules that govern them.

Jemima Key runs skateboarding, BMX, parcour and scooter competitions and workshops for young people through Big Air School. She has brought together some of her observations on skatepark culture into a useful article for those who work with young people in outdoor environments.

To read the article about skateparks, go to: http://bigairschool.com.au/youth-service-provider-resources/ To find out more about Big Air School, which was founded in early 2012, go to: http://bigairschool.com.au/

(Source: Youth Field Express, February 2013)

This is a very useful resource document compiled by Michelle Scott, the West Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People. It showcases a selection of 82 evidence-based programs from Western Australia and across Australia that demonstrate best or promising practice in strengthening the wellbeing of children and young people.

“Evidence-based policy and practice is critical to improving the wellbeing of young Australians, so it is vital that agencies have easy access to information about programs that are working."

"Building Blocks – Best practice programs that improve the wellbeing of children and young people does just that; it provides a selection of programs with information and data that will assist government, non-government agencies and the private sector to make informed decisions about evidence-based programs and thereby achieve maximum benefits with limited resources.” Michelle Scott – Commissioner for Children and Young People WA

Download a copy of the document: http://www.ccyp.wa.gov.au/buildingblocks/files/BuildingBlocksFebruary2012.pdf

SOURCE: NTYAN enews, December 2012 and Bank of I.D.E.A.S.

This comprehensive and easy-to-use Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) resource kit is mapped up to Level 3 against the Australian Core Skills Framework, it is contextualised to the Community Services and Health industries, but flexible enough to be used in other industries. The resource is ideally suited for supporting Core Skills in the workplace without the specific need for a Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) expert. Click here to access the free resource

Core Skill: Learning, Reading, Writing, Oral Communication and Numeracy.

Audience
- Workplace trainers
- Supervisors
- Managers
- Mentors

Use this link to access the full resource or core elements of this resource for FREE (click on product details).

https://www.cshisc.com.au/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=6&Itemid=48

These Good Practice Guides from the Centre for Multicultural Youth provide excellent resources for youth workers working across cultures.

Culturally Competent Intake and Assesment

This Good Practice Guide provides workers with guidance on how to undertake respectful and responsive intake and assessment with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

download PDF (267kb)


Culturally Competent Youth Work

This Good Practice Guide provides organisations and workers with some strategies to enhance the accessibility and responsiveness of their service when working with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.

download PDF (311kb)

Working with Interpreters

This Good Practice Guide provides workers with strategies that promote good practice when working with interpreters.

download PDF (274kb)

Youth Work in the Family Context

This Good Practice Guide presents an overview of the factors that impact on family relationships for young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds and present key considerations for workers in supporting family connection.

download PDF (330kb)

Youth work with Young People from Migrant and Refugee Backgrounds

This Good Practice Guide explores themes relevant to young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds and discusses strategies for supporting good practice when working with this group of young people.

download PDF (248kb)

Youthwork Ethics...is a great blog aimed at tackling the hard questions that we sometimes face when working with young people. Great blog and provides additional support and tips to guide your practice as well as debate around ethical dilemmas. A must read for any youth worker. Take a look

Youthwork Toolbox ...was established in February 2012 by owner and main contributor Tony Brown.. Tony’s intention in creating the site and the brand is to give people who currently work in young people services and those who have a desire to work with young people, a practical, user friendly resource to support them in planning and delivering  high quality youth provision. Take a look

Source: LGAQ enews

The Lifehouse Project has just released a new resource to help you engage and teach young people about the world they live in. You can purchase and download the Ebook from their website here.

The activities all take between 30-90 minutes. Each session plan includes the objectives, resources required and “how to play”. There are also debriefing questions and extra facts and recommended links to help you run the activity successfully.

All the activities are fun, interactive and aim to build the life skills, health and wellbeing of young people aged 13-25 years old.

Both male and female young people will enjoy these activities. They are designed to be run in schools and youth groups but they can also be run with individual young people in mentoring settings.

Sportsmanship: This activity helps participants learn about sportsmanship and consider how they can demonstrate good sportsmanship whether they are playing sports, at school, home or work.

The Price of Poverty: This activity teaches participants about poverty in developed countries. It encourages young people to create and advocate for solutions to poverty.

Positive Connections: This activity helps participants recognise the power of association. Young people will learn about the power of the mind and think about how to keep their brain healthy and active.

Superheros: This activity encourages participants to identify real and positive role models in their circle of influence. It encourages young people to serve and protect their community.

Failing Forward: This activity is designed to increase participants understanding of how to face failure and become resilient.

Party On Party Safe: This is a health promotion activity that gives participants the skills and knowledge to be safe at parties.

Belonging To Our Community: This activity raises participant’s cultural awareness and respect for people groups within the community.

Ready, Steady, Recall: This activity helps participants develop their memory, observation and conflict resolution skills.

Health and Wellness: This is a health promotion activity that introduces participants to the dimensions of wellness using group discussion and collaboration.

Current Affairs: This activity helps participants learn about Current Affairs and think about how they can be active global citizens.

Victim Assist Queensland has recently launched a step by step guide for making a victim impact statement for victims of crime in Queensland.

The Penalties and Sentences Act (1992) and the Juvenile Justice Act (1992) both make provisions for the sentencing court to consider the impact of any harm caused to the victim when sentencing.

The Victims of Crime Assistance Act (2009) also provides that a victim has the right to inform a sentencing court, through the prosecution, of the impact which the crime has had on them and their family.

This may take the form of a victim impact statement, a written document prepared by the victim and submitted to the court for consideration. A victim impact statement provides an opportunity for a victim of crime to communicate to the court details of any physical, emotional, financial and social impacts which the crime has had on them.

The guide steps victims of crime through the process of how to consider, write and submit a victim impact statement.

It is also a relevant and comprehensive resource for agencies working with victims of crime, assisting them in supporting their clients through the process.

If your agency would like further information or requires a tailored information session on the development and submission of victim impact statements, please contact Victims Linkup on 1300 546 587 or by email.

A new toolkit for developing place-base responses to disadvantage has been published by UnitingCare Social Justice. This resource has been developed to assist anyone - from a community worker to an experienced community development practitioner - to plan, organise, implement and evaluate place-based projects. The toolkit contains a checklist for assessing places or regions for projects to address disadvantage, guidelines for developing regional action plans, a template for developing a regional action plan, as well as a section on creating and fostering a community of practice.

It has been developed to complement the Scan of Disadvantage Action Plan and A Framework for Responding to Place-Based Disadvantage which focuses on assisting UnitingCare Queensland to develop programs and services in response to the issues that were raised in the Scan of Disadvantage in Queensland published by UnitingCare Queensland in 2010.

FIND OUT MORE: Click here.

(Source: QCOSS newsletter)