Office of Children and Youth Affairs Community Development Division Department of Premier and Cabinet Table of contents Introduction............................................................................................... 3 Background................................................................................................ 4 National Planning Group...................................................................................................................................................4 Young Member’s NYW Report....................................................................................................................................4 Tasmanian NYW Steering Committee.....................................................................................................................6 What happened this year .................................................................................................................................................6 National Report ........................................................................................ 7 NYW Celebrity Supporters ............................................................................................................................................7 National Competitions.......................................................................................................................................................7 Win Free Stuff.........................................................................................................................................................................7 Online polls ..............................................................................................................................................................................8 Events and activities ................................................................................. 9 NYW Launch ..........................................................................................................................................................................9 Participation in events............................................................................ 18 Feedback from young people ................................................................ 20 Comments from young people about NYW 2007 ........................................................................................20 Funding and support............................................................................... 21 National Youth Week 2007 Tasmanian Funding..............................................................................................21 Grants Programs..................................................................................... 21 Promotion and media coverage............................................................ 23 NYW outcomes ...................................................................................... 29 Youth issues............................................................................................. 31 Positive/good practice outcomes of NYW events .............................. 34 National Youth Week 2008 ................................................................... 38 2 14-22 April 2007 – www.youthweek.com Introduction Australia’s eighth National Youth Week showcase their talents (NYW) was held from Saturday 14 April to Sunday 22 April 2007. The Office of take part in competitions Children and Youth Affairs (OCYA) is express their individuality and pleased to present the Tasmanian diversity National Youth Week 2007 Report. celebrate their contribution to the Congratulations must go to all the young community. people across the State as well as others who organised, facilitated and participated NYW also gives the wider community the in this successful event. Our thanks also to opportunity to listen to young people and the many organisations that contributed in acknowledge and celebrate the positive various ways to the success of the week in contributions made by their efforts and their areas. achievements, as well as promoting a community focus on issues of concern for NYW is the largest single celebration of young people. young people on the Australian calendar and has run annually since 2000 as a joint A key feature of the week was a focus on initiative of Australian, State, Territory and young people being involved in the Local Governments. OCYA has been planning and implementation of events. involved in NYW since its inception. This was realised in communities across OCYA is responsible for the coordination Tasmania where there was a high and delivery of NYW in Tasmania and is a participation level among young people. member of the NYW National Planning Young people were able to advise Group. organisations on the types of activities they would like in their area for NYW; see The official 2007 NYW slogan, ‘Launch these ideas come to fruition; and, in most Yourself’, appeared on posters and other cases, play a large part in the organisation promotional material which were of events. distributed throughout Australia. Many organisations used the slogan as a focus Participants identified a range of positive for activities. outcomes from the week. These outcomes were mainly targeted at young NYW is a call to action for young people people but also acknowledged that NYW to make the most of the week. It is a had a positive impact on the community chance to get involved and, more as a whole. importantly, have fun regardless of their resources, skills or abilities. The surveys indicated that participants were looking forward to the NYW 2008 NYW gives young people aged 12- (5-13 April) and many were already 25 years an opportunity to: making plans. express their ideas and views raise issues of concern to them act on issues that affect their lives 14-22 April 2007 – www.youthweek.com 3 Background On 23 April 1999, Australian, state and and other young members with their territory Youth Ministers agreed to hold government reps from each state/territory. Australia’s first National Youth Week from As a national group we discussed things 2–8 April 2000. This event was so like communication strategies, NYW successful it was agreed that it be held as objectives, NYW supporters and how the an ongoing event with a national focus. ‘back end’ of NYW should work and translate to the local, on the ground, National Planning Group grassroots projects. The young members also threw around potential slogans and The Youth Bureau in the Australian after lengthy conversation we decided on Department of Families, Community ‘Launch Yourself’ as an appropriately high- Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) energy grab for the 2007 week-long coordinates NYW in collaboration with celebration. ‘Shout, Share, Live, Unite’ the departments responsible for youth came in as a close second and will be used affairs in all states and territories. A for NYW 2008. We then worked with National Planning Group (NPG) is formed ‘Life Lounge’, a media/promotions each year, and includes a youth company, to generate a potentially representative from each state and awesome visual concept to go alongside territory, representatives from the FaCSIA ‘Launch Yourself’. Not sure where the Youth Bureau, and representatives from all lawn mowers came from… youth affairs offices around the country. Congrats to the NPG who took on the In 2007, the NPG consulted a number of young members suggestion that the visual times and oversaw arrangements for design for future NYWs should be coordinating and promoting NYW at a developed by a young person. The national level. Anita Doig, Senior Project opportunity was advertised through ‘The Coordinator from OCYA, was the Source’ (the Australian Government Tasmanian Government representative on website providing information, programs, the NPG and Karlee Foster, from the services, resources and entertainment for Tasmanian Youth Consultative Committee young people) and we received a great (TYCC), was the Tasmanian young selection of short-listed designs by young member on the NPG. artists in July 07. The final design will be decided on at the August 07 debrief/08 Young Member’s NYW planning meeting, again in Canberra. Report It was also at the first NPG meeting that Oh my gosh! What a ride! We started young members had the chance to meet planning 2007’s National Youth Week in each other in a more casual environment August 2006, when TYCC and OCYA before the state reps joined us. We were accepted my application as a TYCC able to work with Michael O’Meara as our member to be Tassie’s young member on facilitator, empowering us as a young the National Planning Group. Tassie’s group to take on a national perspective. 2005-06 young rep Lucy Tatham and I sat Thank you to the 2006 young members down for a day mid-August 06 to chat NPG who pushed for this. This NPG about the in’s and out’s of the NPG and meeting was followed up by monthly what realistically to expect – thank you teleconferences and many, many replies to Lucy! The handover was incredibly useful. email discussions. I was flown to Canberra for four days late In April 07, we launched ourselves in August, alongside Trish Males from OCYA Tassie by way of a ‘Horizontal Bungee 4 14-22 April 2007 – www.youthweek.com Jump’ (imagine a big jumping castle, being Matthews, a fellow TYCC member, to strapped into a harness, running up the continue our Tasmanian presence on the blow up corridor and being flung back!). NPG. Newstead College band ‘Shock Corridor’ Thank