YACWA's COVID-19 Recovery Framework for Young People
Young people in Western Australia have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Even in our current state of eased restrictions, young people are likely to feel the burn for years to come without intervention.
With impacts on their employment, their mental health, their education, and their futures, young people need a plan from their State Government in order to recover better than before.
This document unpacks exactly how COVID-19 has affected young people, and provides recommendations to the State Government on how we can recover better than before.
Developed in partnership with young people impacted by the pandemic, we hope to create a new normal in Western Australia, free of inequality and hardship.
Youth Workers Unite #11: Aboriginal Young People and Mental Health
YACWA's COVID-19 response and resiliency series continues this Wednesday 13 August at 9.30am with a special focus on supporting Aboriginal young people with a holistic approach to mental health.
In this free webinar, educator, youth worker and mentor Shaun Nannup will explore the impact of COVID-19 on exacerbating the ongoing inter-generational trauma faced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in the community.
Shaun will provide youth workers with culturally informed and tangible tools to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people with their mental health and wellbeing.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on many issues that already existed in society. One of these is the digital divide. During the height of the pandemic when schools and facilities closed and the majority of services went online, many of our State’s most vulnerable young people with no access to digital devices found they no longer had access to social and health supports.
The Youth Digital Inclusion (YDI) project has been developed to respond to the digital divide experienced by vulnerable young people across our State. The Department of Communities has given YACWA a grant to distribute approximately 300 refurbished ICT devices to young people aged 16 to 24 in need. The majority of these devices will be smartphones accompanied by 6 month data packages. Young people will be identified through eligible community organisations who will apply on their behalf through a time-limited application process.
YACWA has worked tirelessly to support young people, youth workers and the youth sector navigate this strange and challenging time. Now we’re asking you to join us commit to championing the rights of young people in Western Australia by becoming a member.
Over 40 years ago, a small group of agitators, firebrands and troublemakers joined together to form a united front for youth workers in our state. That same activist spirit, fuelled by an undying commitment to the rights of young people, runs through everything we do at the Youth Affairs Council of WA.
As we move into this recovery phase, we’re faced with an extraordinary challenge. Young people are expected to be some of the hardest hit by this upheaval to employment, education and daily life.
By becoming a member, you’ll be supporting our small team of change-makers to fight for every young person in our state.
With a State Election scheduled for March 2021, the Youth Pride Network (YPN) is working to make sure the voices LGBTIQA+ young people are heard in the political conversation.
If you'd like to be a part of shaping that election platform, fill out the survey below and share your thoughts on the issues affecting LGBTIQA+ young people.
Are you feeling lucky? More importantly, are you feeling hungry? Time for YPN's Potluck! Bring a plate and bring a pal for on Friday 28 August as the YPN comes together for a feast. Check out our Facebook event to book your free potluck ticket. Accessibility information is also available on the event page.
Are you an LGBTIQA+ young person living in regional WA? We want to hear from you!
YACWA & YPN are teaming up to organise an online consultation for LGBTQIA+ regional young people to discuss their experiences of COVID-19. If you'd like to participate you'll receive a $50 eftpos voucher for your time.
Youth Legal Services have partnered with more than 20 of Western Australia’s biggest youth social media influencers to launch an anti-cyberbullying campaign aiming to increase awareness of and create conversations around cyberbulling within the 14 to 25-year-old age bracket, and encourage victims and supporters to use a ‘#stop’ emoji to both draw awareness to the behaviour, and halt it in its tracks.
If you want to support the campaign, draw a stop sign on your hand, tag @stopcyberbullyingwa on Instagram and spread the word.
Youth Homelessness Advisory Council's Advocacy in Brief
The team at Youth Homelessness Advisory Council (YHAC) have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that our most vulnerable young people are being heard. Here's a quick overview of just some of their work to put young people on the agenda during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Young People and Careers in Disability Support Campaign
National Disability Services are looking for young people aged 18-30 working in the Disability Support Sector and the people with disability they support to take part in test focus groups and/or feature in a campaign for young people raising awareness about disability support careers.
Individuals, organisations and initiatives can now nominate for this year's WA Mental Health Awards.
Nominations are open in eight categories spotlighting mental health coverage in the media, mental health promotion and innovation in driving mental health change.
The Young Carer Bursary Program supports young carers to continue with their education. The program offers a limited number of $3,000 bursaries each year.
Applications are open for young carers aged 12 - 25 engaged in education at the high school level or beyond, including TAFE, apprenticeships and undergraduate programs at university.
Applications for the 2021 Young Carers Bursary Program are open until 8 September.
The Youth Futures Summit is a week-long virtual event that seeks to bring together thousands of diverse people across multiple sectors and communities to re-imagine education, training and employment systems for young people, and the rest of Australia.
YACWA respectfully acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of this country. While our work is state-wide, YACWA's office is based on the land of Wadjuk people of the Noongar nation.
We wish to pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend this to all Aboriginal people seeing this message.
