Before we travel any further, it is important for us to address the issue of how young people are different from the general population and what specific needs they may have. If we are aware of these issues, then we may be more able to offer assistance and services to young people that is appropriate and helpful.
Young people, during adolescence, are in a time of change that requires them to begin to address a few key areas of development.
Some of the attributes of young people are that they: 
- Feel they will live forever and can take risks without consequences
- Have a limited attention span
- Have a different concept of time
- Lack experience in communal responsibility.
Specific needs of young people:
- Power
- Autonomy and non-conformity
- Freedom
- Structure
- Peer Acceptance
- Fun
- Support and nurturing
- To have their rights met.
Thinking of these attributes and needs of young people, how does the program you work in allow young people to express or experience these?
Important connections for young people
Research has shown that for young people the most important connections that protected them from negative health and social outcomes are:
- Connections to family - where they feel wanted, safe and cared for
- Connections to a supportive adult outside the family - who is interested in them and passionate about their possibilities
- Connections to school - where they feel included, wanted, safe and cared for, and where they perceive their teachers to be interested in them and their potential
- Connections to something spiritual
This, in some ways, is quite surprising. The peer group, whilst important during adolescence, is not as significant in assisting young people in difficult times as is a supportive adult outside of the family.
In your work, you may come across young people who, for one reason or another, do not have a connection with family. Thus, for these young people a supportive adult outside the family is the important factor in assisting them. This is a fairly big responsibility for all those in the human services field who work closely with young people. If this is the case, and we are important to the young people, then this begs the question: how can I be of most use in my role with young people?
What connections can I influence in my role as a worker with young people and their families (and how)?
Being helpful
John Howard and John Kearney (1990) surveyed homeless young people and youth workers in Sydney, asking them what they thought were important attributes / behaviours / qualities of workers in engaging and maintaining helpful relationships with young people. Their findings were:
Helpful attributes of workers in engaging young people
- A sense of humour
- Ability to relate at the level of the youth
- Employing non-threatening behaviours
- Developing a trusting relationship, maintaining consistent limits, being honest
- Sharing common interests, being 'friendly', a good listener, able to 'play', actively involved, 'knowing' what might be needed (being in tune)
- Having access to resources.
Important qualities of workers for maintaining helpful relationships:
- Being reliable, demonstrating care, providing support
- Provision of a 'safe' environment, providing a 'sense of belonging'
- On-going contact
- Maintaining trust
- Being honest, allowing freedom for the youth to make choices.
How do I already utilise some of these qualities and attributes in my work?
How could I better use some of my qualities to engage and maintain helpful relationships with the young people that I have contact with?
Access to services
Obviously, all workers have their limitations in what they can do in their roles. Subsequently, being able to refer a young person to a useful service is of paramount importance.
Access to services for young people is especially crucial and is affected by:
- How affordable they are
- Where they are located (close to transport, near where young people 'hang out')
- Whether the staff and environment are welcoming and helpful
- What style of service it is
- How many options are around? We know the greater the number of choices, the more likely the young person is to own their decision to attend that service
- Adolescents are more likely to "try-out" a program that is adolescent-friendly and to use such services as "Assertive Outreach".
Thinking of your service, what aspects make young people more likely to access?
What are some of the barriers in your service that make young people less likely to access it? What can you do about this?
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Working with Young People with Alcohol or Other Drug Issues: A self-paced learning package Published: 2006 Funded by NSW Drug & Alcohol Workforce Development Council. Written & compiled by Kristy Delaney, YAPA, and Matt Stubbs & John Howard, Ted Noffs Institute. Additional material by Nick Manning, YAPA, & by Shopfront Youth Legal Centre. Opinions are the author's.
Be careful! YAPA and the authors took reasonable care to ensure that this information was correct at the time of publishing. However health information, and government regulations, laws and standards are complex and changing. The authors may not have health, safety, or legal qualifications, and information provided is general - it is not specific health, legal or professional advice. Do not rely on it - check with other publications and authorities and if necessary get qualified, medical, legal or professional advice for your situation.
