Youth services offered by Local Governments

The City of Cockburn's response to PerthNow about Youth services provided by Local Governments

Question: How much does the City spend on youth/youth services annually? If possible, could you present that figure both in dollars and as a percentile of the annual budget.
Answer: In 2021-2022 the City of Cockburn spent $2.55m or 1.6 per cent of its operating budget specifically on Youth Services.
 
Question: Is there anything that sets your council apart in terms of what you are doing to engage local youth? Does your council have a youth advisory council, a youth hub or youth workers etc?
Answer: 

• The City’s Cockburn Youth Centre in Success is a large, well-resourced youth support hub which houses specialist Youth Services staff delivering youth engagement programs and activities for young people living, working, studying and playing in the City. The Youth Reach South team is just one of the wrap-around services based at the Centre, with specialist mental health support for young people provided by clinical psychologists, social workers, clinical nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health practitioners. The opening hours for the Youth Centre (individual program times vary) are unique within the youth sector as it operates six days a week Monday to Saturday and until 9pm on Thursdays
• Cockburn Youth Services has a Youth Advisory Collective (YAC). The YAC is focused on empowering youth-led, youth-driven projects that give young people the ability to organise and lead projects that benefit their communities. The YAC is a volunteer group of young people aged 12-24 years who live, work or study in the City of Cockburn. They attend fortnightly meetings, advocate for local youth issues and attend organised activities. The YAC has delivered numerous youth events and community activities over many years, positively raising the profile of young people in Cockburn
• Youth Diversity Inc. is a supportive and inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ young people aged 15 to 24 to socialise with peers. Sessions run every Thursday 6-8pm during the school term at the Youth Centre. The YDI also plans and coordinates the annual PRIDE & Progress Ball which is held during PRIDE month in November. This event is now in its sixth year and the 2022 event saw over 200 young people from all over the metro attend the fabulous evening with a DJ, Dungeons & Dragons, sensory quiet space, photo booth and a potato gem gravy fountain
• There are 10 permanent team members with 16 casual team members supporting. These make up the Youth Centre, Outreach Program, BlissCo Mobile Youth Activity Program, Outrage School Holiday Program, and Youth Justice program
• Youth Centre program facts:

1. Cockburn Youth Centre was officially opened in 2008
2. Over 1,000 young people drop-in each month to access youth programs
3. 90 program dates were on offer to young people in the Youth Centre in January 2023
4. The majority of in-centre programs are free with the exception of music lessons and Dungeons n Dragons/Tabletop Role Playing Game (DnD/TTRPG) sessions in order to remove barriers to young people participating
5. The Youth Centre offered free recording/studio time during the January school holidays as well as the free beginner music lessons

Question: What's the next big project/activity your local government is investing in specifically for local youth?
Answer: The City of Cockburn’s Youth Strategy 2017-2022 is up for review this year. The process will involve broad engagement both with young people, service providers and members of the wider community to develop a new plan. The plan will focus on identifying gaps in youth service delivery within the City, including in the key areas of education, mental health, employment, justice, housing, technology, and young people identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQIA+ and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. All stakeholders will be encouraged to participate and contribute to the review of this important document which will guide the delivery of youth services from 2023 until 2027
 
Question: What's the most important active and ongoing service or function that your local government provides specifically for local youth?
Answer: Programs being delivered from the Youth Centre include:

1. Barista Program where young people learn how to make fantastic coffee, improve their customer service skills, multitasking and focus on teamwork
2. Employ Me is a free service supporting young people with all things career and work related. Those aged 14-24 can book in and receive assistance with resumè writing, cover letters, improving interview skills and general career advice
3. The Drama Program has been running for 13 years. Since 2019 young people have produced and delivered three FRINGE Festival events, playing to sold out shows for those lucky enough to get tickets. Mysterium review - Xpress Magazine
4. Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPG) each week. These programs are a safe space to develop new communication and social skills while boosting creative problem-solving abilities. It is fun to work as a team to bring down a monster that has been terrorising your village!
5. Fully equipped recording studio and jam space for band rehearsals, one-on-one music lessons, song writing, DJ workshops and recording sessions
6. Keys4Life is a pre-driver education program that allows students over 15 years of age to learn about safe driving and sit their Learner’s Permit Theory Test. This feeds directly into Regional Youth Driver Education (RYDE) program. It creates a holistic pathway for young people to achieve their licence
7. Herb Your Enthusiasm which runs out of the community garden at the front of the Youth Centre

Youth Development Programs:

1. The Outrage School Holiday Program is a supervised highly active program operating all weekdays of the school holidays. The program can accommodate up to 30 young people and include activities such as surfing, mountain biking and day trips to Adventure World
2. Regional Youth Driver Education (RYDE) is a subsidised driving program to help young people to achieve their 50 hours drive time to achieve their probationary licence
3. Skate park & pump track events and clinics – the City delivers monthly competitions and female only clinics that activate its local skateparks and pump tracks between spring and autumn
4. BlissCo is a mobile sports and arts focused recreation program for young people. Operating during first, second and fourth terms, the BlissCo program provides activities three afternoons per week to Cockburn’s young people in local parks
5. Unique Youth Events - Youth Noise music competition, Frosh Spring Fair festival and Youth Anzac Parade

Youth Outreach Program - the City receives funding from both the Department of Communities and Department of Justice to provide one on one support to young people, to support their education, life skills and relationships. The program has been delivered continuously in and around Cockburn for over 20 years. Three full time staff deliver the program. They work with young people and respond to their needs through various programs and activities including:

1. Sporting programs such as netball, touch rugby, football and more
2. Mechanic’s course
3. Landscaping course
4. Carpentry program with Cockburn Mens Shed
5. Bike Rescue program
6. Equine Therapy program
7. Back to Country camps
8. First Steps program focuses on supporting young people to obtain 100 points of identification, develop a resume and prepare for the workforce.