See also YAPA media releases
Youth issues
Policy positions
- Transport concessions for young people in NSW
-
update: Transport concession victory for apprentices & trainees 4/07
Reports & submissions
Poverty & disadvantage among young Australians 5/08
- media release
- report 290KB PDF
Skilling young Australians: Young people's views on improving skills, training and welfare (340 KB PDF) (2007)
Brawls, batons and beer goggles: Young people talk about negative impacts of alcohol (280kb PDF) (2006)
NSW State Plan: a new direction for NSW. A new direction for NSW young people? (2006)
The NSW Government has developed a single document which outlines its goals, plans and benchmarks. The State Plan will identify around 30 key priorities for the next ten years and will be used to help set goals for the state budget. A draft plan has been released for consultation and the NSW Government has been holding community consultations across NSW to gain feedback and ideas. On August 25 YAPA attended the Stakeholder Forum with other peak organizations and Directors-General of departments such as Community Services, Education and Training, and Transport. Our main recommendations are summarised in this report.
Young people negotiating at work (2006)
In 2006 YAPA surveyed 400 young people about negotiating at work. In response to the findings we called for a ban on individual contracts for young workers, and supported the call for a NSW watchdog dedicated to helping young people with employment problems.
See also Impact of WorkChoices on youth services (2006)
YAPA supports school-based apprenticeships (2006)
YAPA supports the NSW Government initiative that will allow HSC students to complete school-based apprenticeships one day a week.
Fair go RailCorp: Young people and transit security (2005) (PDF opens in 2nd window)
YAPA research into young people's experiences of NSW railway transit officers shows that young people are not getting a fair deal. They are penalised in situations where older travellers are not, and they don't always get the protection which the Transit Officers are meant to provide.
School's cool (2005)
The NSW Department of Education held a consultation about the future of schools and TAFEs in NSW. YAPA contributed a submission which focused on issues of school retention, truancy, suspensions, and support for disadvantaged students such as refugee young people.
An education in poverty: More help needed for income-supported students (2004)
In response to an inquiry by the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and Education Committee into the adequacy of student income support, YAPA used a web form to enable people to submit their thoughts directly to the Senate committee or anonymously to YAPA. Respondents ranged from school, TAFE, undergraduate and postgraduate uni Students, their parents, youth workers, TAFE teachers and ex-students. Via the form we received nearly 70 submissions, including 11 submissions by members of the public to the Senate Inquiry itself, with the rest going towards informing our own submission.
NSW Shopping Centre Protocol: Creating the Space for Dialogue: The Report (PDF opens 2nd window) (2003)
This report serves to support Creating the Space for Dialogue: A guide to developing a local youth shopping centre protocol and to provide more detailed discussion of issues associated with young people and shopping centres. (Creating the Space for Dialogue: A guide to developing a local youth shopping centre protocol PDF opens in 2nd window)
ACTivate (PDF opens 2nd window) (2002)
In 2002 YAPA consulted over 500 young people in NSW about transport, safety and health in their local areas, as well as any other issues they thought were important. This project, called ACTivate, was part of our 2003 NSW election strategy. This report summarises the issues raised by young people during consultations.
Youth work issues
Impact of WorkChoices on youth services (2006)
Late in 2005 the NSW Government established a taskforce to investigate the impacts of WorkChoices on the delivery and quality of community services in NSW. In August 2006 YAPA met with Justice Marcus Einfeld, the Chair of the Taskforce, to discuss potential impacts of WorkChoices in the youth services sector.
Gundagai, Tumut & Tumbarumba: An all too familiar situation! (March 2006)
... there is a lack of resources in rural NSW, but for young people around the Gundagai area, there are no resources whatsoever. The situation is just as dire in the shires of Tumbarumba and Tumut. A group of people have joined together to obtain funding for a Youth Development Officer (YDO) for the three shires...
Alcohol & Other Drugs Census for Rural Youth Sector Workers 180KB PDF opens 2nd window (March 2006)
Report on the findings of the Alcohol & Other Drugs Census of 98 rural youth services in NSW, conducted by YAPA in December 2005 & January 2006, with funding from the NSW Drug and Alcohol Workforce Development Council.
Youth sector funding crisis (June 2005)
With yet another state budget that offers no increase in the amount of funding available to generalist youth services, it has never been clearer that funding for our sector is in crisis.
Youth Services Census (2003)
In 2002 YAPA held the first NSW census of youth projects and services. The census reports on 770 youth projects, funded by 14 funding programs from 9 state and federal departments and over 80 local councils.
Shopping for a Solution: An Evaluation of Western Sydney Shopping Centre Youth Projects (2002)
- Summary Report (PDF opens 2nd window)
- Full Report (PDF opens 2nd window)
YAPA policy work on committees
- YAPA sits on key government & non-government committees, to provide the needs and views of young people and youth services.
