Development of our Impact Strategy as an approach to measuring Impact
For 179 years, it’s been our mission to provide opportunities for children and young people to grow in Body, Mind, and Spirit – what we call our DNA. When young people grow in Body, Mind, and Spirit they have the opportunity to flourish. But what does this mean for young people and how can we measure our impact.
Children and young people flourish in nurturing settings and communities where they feel they belong, experience a sense of achievement, have the independence and power to make decisions, and believe that their life has purpose.
We refer to these four outcomes – Belonging, Independence, Competence, and Connectedness to a broader social context – as universal human needs. When we strive to deliver on these needs in our programs and services, we contribute to the positive growth in Body, Mind, and Spirit of all who engage with us.
These needs, whilst universal, present differently depending on the life-stage and context of an individual. For instance, adolescence is a time of life characterised by development in personal and social identity, and physical and cognitive growth. In our Youth Services, we adopt the 5Cs model of Positive Youth Development (PYD) to represent human flourishing in this developmental stage.
The 5Cs Model gives us the language to describe the growth towards flourishing. It explains how young people will grow in Confidence, Character, Connection, Caring and Competence (the 5Cs) when the individual strengths of that young person are matched to an environment rich in sustained positive relationships with adults, skill-building opportunities, and opportunities for contribution. When the five Cs are present, a sixth C is likely to develop – Contribution. That is, a young person behaves in ways that contribute positively to self, family, and community.
These models challenge us to be intentional and consistent about optimising services and everyday practice for maximum positive social impact. They give us a shared understanding of the intended outcomes of programs, help us to know what success looks like, and provide the framework for evaluation.
In Youth Services we have begun to evaluate programs aligned to the 5Cs, using a validated measure that helps us understand how young people are developing. Across other areas of the organisation, we continue to explore developmentally appropriate approaches to evaluation that align with human flourishing outcomes.
Empowering LGBTQIA+ youth through Inside Our Minds 2022
During this year’s Mental Health Week we proudly launched our fourth instalment of the award-winning ‘Inside Our Minds’ series nationwide.
This year’s series aimed to shed light on the lived experiences of seven LGBTQIA+ young people and their encounters with mental health stemming from struggles with inclusivity. While also highlighting how mental health affects people regardless of background, gender, or race.
Tragically, more than 45 per cent of people aged 16 and over reported having a mental disorder (LGBTQIA+ Health Australia, 2021). Compared to the general population, LGBTQIA+ people are two-and-a-half times more likely to have been diagnosed or treated for a mental health condition in the past 12 months (LGBTQIA+ Health Australia, 2021).
One participant Zee opened up about their struggles with gender dysphoria and how they think their community can be more accepted in sports. “I struggle with gender dysphoria. My body just doesn’t feel like mine yet. I worry a lot about how flat my chest is and how other people perceive me. I think my community can be more accepted in sport by understanding that we just want to play and get the positive impacts from sports like everyone else.”
Another participant Carter said they participated in the series out of a genuine passion for advocating for others. “I want to put a more realistic view of mental health into the world, thriving in life isn’t always getting out of bed at 5am and going to the gym, sometimes it’s getting out of bed 20 minutes before you have to get ready, and having your favourite simple drink or food…It’s about doing your best, not other people’s version of best.”
All the participants expressed their hope that sharing their experiences with mental health would help them connect with others experiencing similar issues and give them the strength to reach out for help if they need it.
Y Youth Diligently Prepare for the Trek of a Lifetime
We are thrilled to be sponsoring 14 young people from the Goldfields, Perth metropolitan and Pilbara regions to hike the Kokoda Trek in Papua New Guinea with Kokoda Courage in November 2023.
Over ten days our young adventurers will cover 96km of beautiful tropical rainforest and steep mountainous terrain. While developing crucial skills, experiencing a new part of the world and soaking up the rich history of the trail.
The lead up to the trek has been intense and comprehensive to ensure the group is well-prepared. It has included extensive health and fitness training both individually and as a team up to three times a week for the past eight months. As well as a four-day training camp in June.
Y WA CEO Dr Tim McDonald stressed the significance of the program. “The physical and personal experience that young people will gain leading up to and including the main event such as fitness, nutrition, history, cultural immersion, empowerment, self-confidence, teamwork, mateship and courage will have a significant positive impact on them.”
“Our June camp was a great success, bringing all participants together for the first time, half of who are Aboriginal young people. It’s encouraging to now see them all taking part in training sessions at least twice a week in their respective hometowns, ahead of our next camp” explained Dr McDonald.
Outreach bicycle program starts at the Y Goldfields
The Y Goldfields Recreation Centre received 420 bicycles from Bicycles for Humanity WA as part of an outreach program to engage, connect, and give back to local youth and community. As part of the program young people are given two bikes which they are taught to fix. Once complete they keep one bike for themselves and donate the other to a local organisation of their choice. The program is an excellent opportunity for local youth to learn new skills while doing something good for the local community.
The program has been running every Friday of term for ten weeks and has been a great success. Up to ten or more young people attend the program at the Y Goldfields weekly.
Y Youth Engagement Officer Heather Momo is based in Kalgoorlie and has been heavily involved in the program. Heather explained that local young people “Abby and Nathen have donated almost four to six bikes to our local woman’s shelter. While the youth in Laverton have used their bikes to travel to and from school which has greatly improved school attendance”.
Since the program commenced our Kalgoorlie team has also delivered the program with other community initiatives. Such as, the City of Kalgoorlie’s Bush Mechanic Day in Partnership with the Kalgoorlie Museum, Shire of Kambalda Holiday Program, Laverton’s Youth Program and Kalgoorlie’s Youth Justice and Police.
2022 Youth Parliament back in the house
Now in its 27th Year, Youth Parliament remains an integral part of our mission to empower young people to grow in Body, Mind, and Spirit.
The program provides a platform for young people to create meaningful change in WA and have their voices heard by policy makers. While developing important skills and friendships along the way.
In 2022, 59 young people participated in the program and presented six diverse bills. Bills debated in 2022 covered diverse areas such as art therapy, children’s justice, education, electronic waste reduction, health, housing affordability, environmental education and local government reform.
Member for Mandurah, Hannah Inwood, has been part of the program for the past two years and is a strong advocate for giving young people a voice.
“It’s hard being a young person and feeling like we don’t have a voice… Our voices matter – forums like the Youth Parliament present the perfect opportunity to use it,” she said.
Hannah was excited to be part of the environment committee and advocate for the planet.
“The environment committee is a rare platform where I can advocate for our planet and people will listen – people will hear us and I will have used my voice for good.”
Many past participants have gone on to work in politics, including Senator Jordan Steele-John (The Greens), Amy Astill (Councillor for City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder) and Kyle McGinn MLC (Mining and Pastoral Region).
Young people have a voice and it’s time to be heard
YChats – the podcast for young people by young people is back this year with a new host!
Maeson Harvey, the Y WA’s Youth Advocate, is a passionate advocate for youth empowerment and although new to podcasting, has taken on the role of host with vigor.
“When we dismiss young people’s voices, we’re missing out on some incredibly valuable, diverse and passionate perspectives” explains Maeson.
“With YChats, we want to create a platform for young people to share their own experiences, and to learn from each other… The aim is to uplift young people’s voices in a way that showcases how important they are to the conversation.”
This year’s episodes focused on the importance of youth voice, working in the music industry and all things IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia).
Overall, YChats was downloaded 448 times and reached 100,531 people. New episodes are released monthly and available on Spotify!
Dreaming ourselves a better world this Youth Week
Youth Week 2023, 15 – 21 May, was a vibrant celebration of dreams and unity with two engaging events at HQ and Base. This year’s theme emphasised how young people can dream themselves a better world, and use their skills, love, care, and knowledge to uplift others.
The week commenced with HQ’s Big Ol Gig N Sk8 Speciale – a day filled with skate workshops, vibrant market stalls and live gigs. What’s more, skaters had the opportunity to win a brand-new pair of New Balance sneakers!
To conclude the week, The Base@Belmont held their annual FAB FUN DAY OUT at Belmont Skatepark, planned and brought to life with support from our dedicated Project Y team. Attendees enjoyed a petting zoo, face painting, inflatable games and more!
The Y WA Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) actively engaged with young attendees at both events, gathering their insights on various topics to inspire future YChats episodes and help guide the broader Y community.
A big shout out to the three passionate youth leadership groups – HQ Youth Squad, the Bases’ Project Y, and the YAC. These groups embody this year’s theme, dreaming with each other to bring their ideas, and the Y’s belief statement to life.
