from yaprap April-May 2010
by Isabel Seidel
yaprap Feature Writer
As I drove to the Marrickville Youth Resource Centre (MYRC) I listened to the CD M’ville on my mind, a compilation of music by local young people. The music is really powerful. It is full of young people’s thoughts and stories. I really did have Marrickville on my mind by the time I got to MYRC and I was glad that I was paying a visit to where all this amazing music was recorded.
MYRC is a generalist youth service located in a culturally diverse area of the inner-west of Sydney, less than 10 kilometres from the city centre. MYRC provides recreation, education, cultural and arts programs to young people between the ages of 12 – 24.
It is also a headspace site - headspace is a new approach designed to improve health outcomes for young people who are at risk of developing mental health and/or alcohol and other drug issues. Headspace is funded by the National Youth Mental Health Foundation.
Headspace sites are integrated community centres with a whole range of different professionals who have skills in working with young people, such as GPs, allied health, mental health, youth workers and alcohol and other drug workers. At MYRC there’s a psychologist as well as a young men's and a young women’s youth worker.
MYRC is like a one-stop shop and the music program is designed to engage with young people. I met with Alex White, the manager of the music program and this is what I found out.
The music program?
The music program was set up in 2007 after MYRC received a grant from HBOS Australia Foundation. The funding was used to set up a music studio and buy new equipment.
The aim is to give young people the opportunity to write and record their own music as well as provide an entry point for young people to access the support they may need such as counselling.
Alex White managers the program and works 3 days a week as a special projects officer. His position is funded by the Department of Community Services NSW to deliver a range of projects. MYRC is hoping to receive more funding so Alex can concentrate on the music program. He studied electronic arts and has the technical skills needed to operate the musical equipment. Youth centres considering putting in a music studio must also think about attracting the professional workers to operate the equipment. Music programs require people with both technical music skills as well as skills needed to work with young people.
How does the music program operate?
The music program operates under a similar model to the program at Youthblock youth health service. Youthblock's music program was very successful at engaging with young people. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued - MYRC and other youth organisations have been urging the state government to continue it.
The model is based around holistic care for a young person. Here’s how it works.
Young people don’t have to be referred to the music program. All they have to do is ring up and book a time to use the studio when Alex is available. This means that the program reaches a wide range of young people and often engages with young people who are not connected to any other services. The main target audience for the program is young people at risk of youth offending, not engaging in school and/or training or work and not completing school.
Alex works alongside each young person during the creative song-writing process helping them to write and record their own music, which can take as long as the young person wants. As time goes on and more trust is developed the young person often feels more comfortable to share what is going on in their life. Alex said some of the music sessions can be very intense and he often finds himself in the role of an accidental counsellor.
Often the young people attending the music program have not seen a trained counsellor so when they start to open up to Alex, he then has to make some pretty tough decisions on how much he takes on board. Alex said that having a good manager is really important to enable him to debrief, as well as to help determine which young people may benefit from being referred to the psychologist on site. When the young person agrees to see the psychologist they often book to use the music studio after their counselling session as a way to release a lot of built up emotions. That’s the benefit of having a holistic care model - music attracts the young people to MYRC and then over time if the young person feels comfortable they are able to begin counselling to work through other issues in their life.
Outcomes?
It’s very hard for youth workers to provide statistical evaluations of the success of creative programs such as music. This is often because there is not enough funding allocated to spend time on evaluating programs. In Alex’s 3 days he has to run other programs as well as the music program which means that there is not much time or resources left over for formal evaluations. However, Alex mentions some general outcomes for young people involved in the program:
- It provides an opportunity to be involved in a positive educational experience
- It provides opportunities for skill development in music that enhance both educational and professional prospects for young people • An increase in self-confidence and self-esteem
- Young people develop an ability to work towards goals, such as producing the CD M’ville on my mind.
There are also a lot of positive case studies of young people engaging in the music program at MYRC. For example, one 16 year old person used the studio consistently for 2 years. The young person was not attending school and benefited from having a project to work towards. The young person said that the music program helped avoid the temptation to be involved in criminal behaviour, with the risk of being locked up.
Where to from here?
There is definitely a role for alternative education programs such as music to be run from youth centres. Obtaining funding for music programs is not easy. Indeed, MYRC continues to build the music program and is seeking more funds for the program to have a full time worker.
When I left MYRC I had a strong impression that music programs can make a significant difference to young people's lives by engaging with them in a way that is at their own pace and providing them with the support they need when they are ready to receive it.
More information
Marrickville Youth Resource Centre
- info@myrc.org.au
- (02) 9564 3222
- www.myrc.org.au
M'ville On My Mind free CD features 13 tracks.
- Listen at www.myrc.org.au/?p=165