Oct
2012
Geelong
Community
Youth Strategy
A strategy for planning the future
through a new understanding and
practice of youth participation
PRACTICAL OUTCOMES & CONSIDERATIONS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2
RECOMMENDATIONS
4
INTRODUCTION
5
BACKGROUND
6
THE GEEYOUNG PROJECT METHODOLOGY
7
Key Concepts
7
Key Method Innovations
8
THE CONSULTATION PROCESS
10
Reaching out to Geelong’s young people
10
The GEEYOUNG Youth Forum
11
Engaging Geelong business leaders
13
STRATEGIC ELEMENTS
16
Youth Vision
16
Process - Considerations
18
Sustainable Structure - Considerations
20
APPENDIX 1:
23
A GEEYOUNG YOUTH PROSPECTUS
23
APPENDIX 2
25
Geelong Better Youth Services Pilot (BYSP)
25
APPENDIX 3
27
The #GEEYOUNG PROJECT Social Media Engagement Plan
APPENDIX 4
27
29
Reflections on GEEYOUNG
29
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT builds on the process and outcomes from the Geelong Better Youth
Services Project (GBYSP) that was undertaken in 2009-2011. When there was an opportunity
to become a pilot site in the Better Youth Services Pilot (BYSP) program, COGG stepped up as
facilitator and lead agency. The Geelong BYSP proved to be a very successful project, perhaps
due to a history of cooperation and collaboration amongst the youth sector in Geelong, but
also because of the ‘youth participation’ approach that was followed. COGG has played an
important role in facilitating a youth agenda for change and innovation.
Over the years, there have been several attempts to better coordinate youth services
in Victoria. The goal is undisputed, but there has been a weak understanding of how to go
about achieving the goal. A general reflection is that the political will for reform and the
enthusiasm of various stakeholders has each time been exhausted before the foundations of
change were laid down. Also, the involvement of young people has never been addressed as a
core premise nor was there ever the necessary and sufficient commitment of resources to see
the change process through. By contrast, the BYSP program made some real progress.
The BYSP projects were about how communities might better identify and support
vulnerable young people and improve the coordination of youth services. The Vulnerable
Youth Framework provided a strong policy context. The approach taken by COGG to the BYSP
was different to what was done in other areas. The Geelong BYSP worked through a realworld process of building youth participation into the core of the project work. The Geelong
BYSP final report proposed an agenda of eight action projects that would enable further
change (See pp.6-7).
Statewide, the BYSP program was continued and further developed as the Youth
Partnerships program administered by DEECD. In Geelong, a significant part of the BYSP
agenda has been picked up through the development of The Geelong Project focused
specifically on homeless and vulnerable youth. This ‘community of schools and youth services’
model is considered a lighthouse initiative for how to do more proactive early intervention,
and it has attracted wider interest because of the possibilities for replication. Funding has
been sourced through research undertaken by a team from Swinburne University ($350,000
over 2 years), with major funding from the Department of Human Services ($1.5m over a 15
months pilot phase) for early intervention workers, and funds from Youth Partnerships and
DEECD ($157,000 over 18 months) for the development of an e-Wellbeing community IT
system.
Two of the recommendations of the BYSP, the ‘community youth strategy plan’
process and ‘youth participation’ were picked up by COGG under what has become the
GEEYOUNG PROJECT. The positioning of this work is that the GEEYOUNG PROJECT works on a
broader canvas, not specifically focusing on disadvantage and vulnerable youth, but on how
the future for young people in Geelong might be constructed with their active participation.
Once again, COGG has supported an innovative ‘youth participation’ approach. This has
involved some challenging rethinking of how to work with young people and what it means to
place ‘youth participation’ at the centre of the work. In this, ‘youth participation’ has not
been an instrumental means to some end, but core to the idea of planning a community
youth strategy as a youth participation process.
Traditionally, a Youth Strategy is a plan for what a Council will do for young people.
2
The concept of a community youth strategy that has been developed through the GEEYOUNG
PROJECT initiative is planning beyond COGG and a process involving a whole range of
community stakeholders, especially young people themselves. COGG is the facilitator and
organiser of the process – the conductor of the orchestra, but most of the musicians are
other stakeholders. COGG does some things but not most things. There is still a need for
COGG Youth Development Unit planning and that takes place, but in a changing context. The
Geelong Community Youth Strategy is planning beyond youth service delivery. This is
different and innovative, but building on the success of the BYSP, it is beginning to change
thinking and lay the basis for young peoples’ deeper involvement in planning and the plan for
young people in Geelong (see pp. 7-9).
The consultation process has been a successful exercise in capacity building for youth
participation. Hundreds of young people from diverse backgrounds have contributed and
over 100 have indicated that would welcome further involvement. Twenty businesses came
forward to support the work of the project and share their aspirations for Geelong’s youth.
This included a highly motivated group of young business owners and some of the most wellestablished businesses in Geelong (see pp.13-15). The GEEYOUNG Youth Forum on 14th
August 2012 brought together 161 people including 122 young people from at least eleven
schools and educational programs and produced some strong messages about what young
people want (see pp. 10-15).
In the discussions facilitated through the GEEYOUNG PROJECT, young people
expressed a need for opportunities to get together and organise events and activities. They
voiced an aspiration for more control over their own lives. Aspirations about education and
employment and wanting to be part of the shaping of what is done were strongly expressed
also. But, perhaps, the most important outcome has been the demonstration that young
people with some support can do a great deal for themselves and with increasing
sophistication. GEEYOUNG has becoming a recognised brand/symbol for the youth
participation strategy work/ youth-led planning in Geelong. The creative challenge is how to
think out a practical way forward – the next step and how to reach to next horizon.
A key insight crystallised during the GEEYOUNG process; this was the idea that for
youth participation to be a sustainable, permanent feature of Geelong community life, there
needs to be an open structure or organisation that actively involves young people from the
local university and TAFE, the Geelong schools as well as young people in alternative
education settings or in the labour force. This envisaged not-for-profit youth-led enterprise
would act as the crucible or incubator for peer-to-peer learning and youth support and youth
development in Geelong. In order to enable this, Council would need to consider a youth
space somewhere in Central Geelong, not a ‘drop-in centre’, but a place where youth activity
and planning for the future agenda can be organised. Some of the other stakeholders have
indicated already that they would engage with and contribute to such a venture (pp.20-22).
The missing link in any serious perspective for ‘youth participation’ is how to facilitate
self-organised, reproducible activity by young people themselves and how to build this as a
sustainable capacity. COGG plays the seminal role of facilitator, and accepts responsibility for
ensuring there is sufficient support. Young people ultimately run the proposed organisation
and the space(s) in much the same way as Melbourne’s SYN media or the Oaktree Foundation.
GEEYOUNG is the first example of a local community developed youth-led social
infrastructure (at this point in embryo only). Good examples of youth-led projects are not
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commonplace. Facilitating the self-organisation of young people is the enabling strategy for
planning the future for young people in Geelong; this is the next horizon.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Support the emerging network of young people and business leaders who are interested
in working on the development of a plan and a creative space for Geelong’s young
people built on the foundations of ‘youth participation’, whereby young people are
increasingly empowered through the process and in all its subsequent activities and
consequences.
Comment: An in-principle motion of support for the continuation of the GEEYOUNG
PROJECT process would legitimise and provide a mandate for continuity.
2. Provide for continued dedicated facilitation of the GEEYOUNG PROJECT process in
whatever way is possible within existing budget constraints and supported by YDU staff.
Comment: The process is not yet self-perpetuating and requires further support and
facilitation to reach that point.
3. Resource the GEEYOUNG PROJECT team to take the invitation in the form of the
GEEYOUNG Youth Prospectus (Invitation) to schools and other venues and sites where
young people can be reached to build the cadre and network of community youth
activists, young business people and citizens.
Comment: The GEEYOUNG Youth Prospectus / Invitation is the basis for the work of the
next step, but the actual work by young people to use it constructively to organise a
wider active group and engage with other stakeholders will require some resources to
happen.
4. Support the maintenance and functioning of the GEEYOUNG PROJECT website and social
networking tools by the GEEYOUNG PROJECT.
Comment: The web presence needs to become more active and be further developed
with some core resource as well as volunteers.
5. Support the GEEYOUNG PROJECT teams and COGG YDU staff to research the practical
feasibility and financial dimensions of creating a self-acting youth network with its own
space for presentation to COGG for the 2013-2014 budget cycle.
Comment: This would be a practical document about possible sites, what would be
required and some financial advice on its costs. Geelong businesses may be able to
provide some expertise for this task.
6. Seek other partners who might be able to invest financially in the GEEYOUNG PROJECT
space and model, including the philanthropic and business sector, in addition to financial
commitments that COGG is able to make for the 2013-2014 financial year.
Comment: The process is not yet self-perpetuating and requires further support and
facilitation to reach that point.
4
INTRODUCTION
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT was funded by the City of Greater Geelong (COGG) to
undertake a strategic planning process that places the needs and aspirations of
young people at its centre. The development of youth participation in Geelong as
part of this process is a key requirement.
The goals of the GEEYOUNG PROJECT are about establishing an overarching
framework and strategic approach for a Geelong community youth strategy, and
ultimately a Geelong Youth Strategy Plan that will enable the sustained development
(over time) of what the Geelong community and its young people want to achieve
together – a strategy for how to develop a vision for Geelong’s young people and
then realise it.
The focus for the strategy development process is young people who live,
learn, work, live or play in Geelong. The premise that underpins the entire strategy
is that only if we understand what young people want to achieve in the future can
this be done authentically. Youth participation becomes the reference point for the
entire process and its ultimate measure of success as a community.
The approach was to begin with the positives and put in place a new
collaborative approach that will underpin and enable young people and their
community to discover and pursue together what they want to achieve over the next
10 years. An extensive consultation / visioning process has resulted in an emerging
consensus and significant progress towards a shared understanding of what young
people are seeking to achieve with their community. The multi-layered approach
was bottom up and involved a range of formats and locations facilitated by young
consultants over a six-month process.
The broad-brush picture that has emerged for the Geelong of the future is a
community known for supporting / delivering a happy and creative community for its
youth, recognised for its celebration and respect for diversity. The clear message
from the young people – is that they see investment in young people facilitating
awareness-raising about opportunities in Geelong with their peers from a young age
as a prerequisite to social, creative and business sustainability in Geelong.
Also, young people see a community with a physical and educational
infrastructure that supports the development of young minds – a place in the CBD
where young people can come together and express ideas, with a focus on joining
together across schools, cultures and religious boundaries.
Geelong’s young people want to be known for being the culture they want to
see in the future - rather than focusing on what is not working and trying to fix it they want to be part of creating a new and inclusive community culture.
So, in simple terms, what is proposed is the next step of the process, building
on what has been done so far and with the efforts of those engaged. Each step along
this reiterative journey is also a test of whether there is an appetite and sufficient
5
drive to move forward, to make the vision for young people and the aspirations they
have and others have for them into a reality. The one factor, without which none of
this makes sense, is the engagement and involvement of young people in the
process (i.e. the means) so that the community youth strategy is their strategy and
then their plan.
BACKGROUND
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT builds on the process and outcomes from the
Geelong Better Youth Services Pilot (BYSP) that was undertaken in 2010-2011. The
GBYSP itself was based on the Vulnerable Youth Framework and focused on system
development and reform. The three questions for the BYSP initiatives were:
Q1: How can vulnerable young people be identified and supported earlier and
more systematically?
Q2: What data is needed to enable better planning of local services to improve
outcomes for vulnerable young people?
Q3: What can be done to improve existing government-funded youth service
coordination and delivery?
Geelong’s approach was notably different in that the participants led by Council
worked through a participatory intensive process to formulate how the Geelong
community might be able to respond. The BYSP final report suggested an agenda of
action projects that would enable the change to be accomplished. These projects
were:
 Project ‘Community Youth Strategic Plan’
The facilitation of a process that knits together a better understanding of what
young people, the service system and broader community are seeking to
achieve in Geelong and how this can be achieved
 Project ‘organisational model development’
The development of an organisational model for the establishment of a
‘community of youth services’ to coordinate day-to-day planning and action
between youth services
 Project ‘youth brand’
The idea of a symbolic youth ‘brand’ for Geelong as a way to identify access to
the youth service system and represent the ‘system’ to young people, their
families and the community broadly
 Project ‘communications’
An effort to improve the information sharing across the Youth Services sector
and cognate sectors working with young people.
 Project ‘data and research’
The collection of micro-statistics by local schools and agencies to provide
timely data on at risk young people
 Project ‘youth participation’
The work to make young people’s involvement a core funded component of all
community and service planning and delivery
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 Project ‘inter-sectoral professional development’
Bringing workers from different professions together for shared learning is an
important way of building and maintaining a collaborative service culture
 Project ‘funding’
Work on how the ‘community of youth services’ as a model for service
integration and coordination could be funded in a recurrent way.
A major part of this agenda has been the subject of developmental work. The
research undertaken by a team for Swinburne University ($350,000 over 2 years) and
the successful launch of The Geelong Project with major funding from the
Departments of Human Services ($1.5m over 15 months pilot phase) and Education
& Early Childhood Development ($157,000 over 18 months) has substantially
achieved the work envisaged under ‘data and research’ as well as much but not
everything under the development of a ‘community of youth services (and schools) ’
organisational model. The Geelong Project is of great interest to the Victorian
Government and outside of Victoria as an exemplar for how communities can more
effectively address disadvantage and get better outcomes for vulnerable young
people.
The Community Youth Strategic Plan and ‘youth participation’ was picked up
by Council in the form of the GEEYOUNG PROJECT. Loosely carried forward as part of
this was another BYSP recommendation to create a ‘youth brand’ for Geelong.. The
GEEYOUNG PROJECT worked on a broader canvas, not just focusing on disadvantage
and the issues of vulnerable youth, but on how the future for young people in
Geelong might be actively constructed with their active involvement.
In this, ‘youth participation’ has not been an instrumental means to some end,
but core to the idea of planning a community youth strategy as a youth participation
process.
THE GEEYOUNG PROJECT METHODOLOGY
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT has been an innovation for Geelong but it is also innovative
in terms of what has previously been attempted in local government under youth
development. The ultimate vision is a community youth strategy, not just a plan for
Council’s youth work. Responsibility for the development of the strategy has been
put in the hands of young people. A core team of local young people were trained
and employed as GEEYOUNG PROJECT youth facilitators. One of their primary tasks
was to find out if other young people want to be involved and if so, how to sustain
their involvement. Another was to help gather the evidence that shaped the
emergent youth vision and to develop some key recommendations.
Key Concepts

Aspiration horizons – the engagement of a broader community in creating a
common vision – to answer the question of what we are trying to achieve as a
community. This work does not seek to develop a plan for the youth service
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system or evaluate the existing youth service system (service accountability) subject of previous BYSP work and other current sector based work.
Appreciative inquiry – an approach to better understand young people’s
experience of the great things in Geelong life including arts, culture, sport,
education, employment and wellbeing. Too often, by starting with the troubling
issues, the discussions and input into the consultation process never open up on
what actually works or is really positive.
Community Development vs. Consultancy Research - The MOHOW approach to
developing a youth strategy is iterative - and in itself a form of community
development. It has sought to discover what is in place, who is involved and then
work to make something happen that can both inform and be the beginning of a
real change process.
Asset-based Community Development - young people are already engage in many
parts of Geelong community life - but there is a need to know more about who
and what are the human and physical community assets that that can be
harnessed in the change process.
Young people as facilitators - The engagement and employment of local young
people as paid GEEYOUNG PROJECT consultants was done as a capacity-building
exercise in order to learn how to increase opportunities for more young people to
be community planners/ leaders.
Key Method Innovations
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT methodology has harnessed the energy and expertise of a
small team of young people, who had been identified already through the work of
the Council’s Youth Development Unit (YDU). How this team has engaged in the
Geeyoung Project over a nine-month period has become a model for what is
envisaged in terms of future structures and processes that would embody the youth
participation vision.
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This has involved a team of young facilitators, the GEEYOUNG PROJECT Team,
finding out from their peers what is their vision for the future of Geelong and how
they want to be involved in achieving it.
Stakeholders forum (Nov 2011) - Developed a vision that in five years young
people would be leading the GEEYOUNG PROJECT - this process). This stakeholder
vision provided a strong footing for a youth led process to emerge and grow.
The consultation process, as described in November 2011, was envisaged as
‘iterative’ and ‘complex’ and around and between face-to-face meetings and a
range of Web 2.0 tools. The use of social media as an engagement tool was
envisaged to be the primary engagement approach. Face to face meetings
became a far more important tool than at first planned. Face to face engagement
became the driver to social media rather than the other way around.
Extensive trialing and implementation of social media and web2.0 based tools for
consultation. This included development of the GEEYOUNG PROJECT brand and
social media plan and then moderation of website and social media engagement
by young people.
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Peer-to-peer consultations were supplemented by consultations and
conversations with diverse young people led by the COGG YDU. This enabled
engagement of young people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)
backgrounds and young people from out of home care and flexible learning
settings.
The consultations with young people by young people were undertaken as an
exemplar of how youth participation might be developed on a larger scale –
stickers, surveys, conversations and meetings. Social networking tools were used
for the first time, and although they did not produce the exponential effect that
the team had hoped might happen, much has been learned, and their use should
definitely be part of any further consultations with the youth population.
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT team discovered early on that young people want
Geelong to offer career and employment opportunities, and a diversity and
positive culture and community. It was discovered that many education providers
and the business community also want to involve young people in the future of
Geelong. Young people then confirmed that they want time, space and support to
be involved in creating that future culture and community in Geelong.
At the beginning of the project, it was hoped what became the GEEYOUNG
PROJECT would include the development of a ‘youth brand’ that would badge
youth-friendly services and activities in and around Geelong. This did not happen
as originally envisaged, but the GEEYOUNG Team and ‘GEEYOUNG’ has become a
recognisable brand for the ‘youth participation’ agenda and a movement to give
expression to young peoples’ voices. GEEYOUNG PROJECT is about young people
having a say and creating the culture they would like to see happening (i.e.
achieving their vision for Geelong).
The bringing of local business interests and individuals into the youth participation
and development process of the GEEYOUNG PROJECT must be recognised as a
major achievement. This engagement is important and needs to be maintained in
the interim and not allowed to lapse or dissipate.
The education sector was engaged also. This has happened at a school level as
well as at a Departmental level. The objectives of the Youth Partnership program
intersect with those informing the GEEYOUNG PROJECT.
The engagement of 161 attendees at the Youth Forum on Tuesday 14th August
2012, and the quality and enthusiasm of the input from over 120 young people
from over 11 local schools and education programs at the event was a
demonstration of the results of the hard work that the team had put in the
months leading up to the forum.
Forum attendees identified their ideas for achieving a youth vision for Geelong
and embraced the suggestion of working together in an ideas space where they
can develop their own awareness raising and positive culture outcome.
The young people’s vision has been embraced by a broader stakeholders forum on
17 September 2012, which was attended by 80 community members, youth
organisations and business leaders. Interest in the next phase of strategy
implementation was clearly expressed by all. This included offers of spaces and
support to allow the next phase to evolve with young people leading.
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A highlight at the final forum was presentations by two young business owners
engaged through the GEEYOUNG PROJECT consultation process. Their
presentations and vision for the future together with attendance from other
business community leaders signified that the GEEYOUNG PROJECT process had
resulted in a new youth planning membership - The Geelong Business Community
and young entrepreneurs in the region.
THE CONSULTATION PROCESS
The following sets out the extent of the consultation process, describes the activities
and provides a record of what thinking and ideas emerged from this process.
Reaching out to Geelong’s young people
Over 2000 stickers were handed out at events in an attempt to coax young people to
deeper conversations on the website and through social media. Facebook and
Twitter followers gradually grew to over 100 each.
Early general consultations were held at existing events:
Date
Event
Location
Staff
Attending
No. of
consultations
completed
26/1/12
YAAPA
Australia Day
My Bloody
Valentine Fest
GEEYOUNG
PROJECT Team
(GPT)
GPT
Consultation
(trial) 12
19/2/12
Geelong
Youth Activites
Area (YAA)
Geelong YAA
25/2/12
Pako Festa
GPT
19
14/3/12
Lara Secondary
Careers Day
Pakington
Street, Geelong
West
Lara Secondary
College
GPT
40
24/3/12
Spud Fest
The Potato
Shed, Drysdale
GPT
36
14/4/12
National Youth
Week Launch
Geelong YAA
GPT
10
1/4/12
Blokes Day Out
Eastern Beach
GPT
4
16/4/12
BBQ in the
Mall: Youth
Week
celebration
Lt Malop Street
GPT
8
15
Total: 144
Consultations expanded into more purposeful locations - with a focus on securing
great diversity of participation. The YDU were engaged and briefed on the project
and carried out some consultations with and on behalf of young people
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19/4/12
Newcomb
Secondary
Youth Week
celebrations
Newcomb
Secondary
College
GEEYOUNG
PROJECT
TEAM (GPT)
47
3/5/12
Lara Year 12’s
Lara
Secondary
College
GPT & YDU
18
9/5/12
Culturally and
Linguistically
Diverse (CALD)
young people
North Geelong
Secondary
College
YDU
17
9,10,11/5/12
VCAL/VET/VCE
year 11+12’s,
Year 9’s
Bellarine
Secondary
College
GPT
55
17/5/12
Random surveys
Geelong
YDU
4
17/5/12
CREATE
(alternate
education)
Students
CREATE school
YDU
11
19/5/12
Kardinia Church
Group members
Market/
Kardinia Church
Gamers
Kardinia
United Church
GPT
9
29/6/12
CCP “Indie Gig”
–Consultation
inc. Vision2
questions
The Potato
Shed,
Drysdale
GPT
7
17/7/12
Nelson Park
Futures Expo
Nelson Park
School
GPT
1
Sub-total: 169
TOTAL
313
The consultations revealed that many young people have positive experiences of
Geelong, especially participating in sporting and cultural events and when actively
engaged in local learning and earning opportunities. Young people expressed their
general life aspirations and some ideas about a better Geelong - a city with a stronger
sense of ‘community’, and, a city that truly ‘works together’. Young people value the
current education and employment opportunities and want to participate and
contribute more to the development of these in their community. They expressed a
desire for a community where finding what you need is easier. While there are plenty
of education and employment opportunities and services targeting young people in
Geelong, there was a strong desire to ensure that they were better promoted and
more easily identified by young people.
The GEEYOUNG Youth Forum
The Youth Forum conducted on 14/8/12 was designed to take previous consultation
further by enabling a large group of young people from 11 different local schools and
11
educational programs to explore the same and more questions in a facilitated
workshop.
Attendees and numbers from each school/Education Facility
School
No.
Students
Bellarine Secondary College
25
(with Cheryl Linford)
Clonard College
20
4
CREATE
5
(with Phil Duffy)
12
(With Hyltan Mason)
Matthew Flinders Girls
Secondary College
Belmont High
No.
Students
(With Julia Love)
(with Julie Whelan)
Grovedale College
School
Diversitat
5
(Narelle Jolley and Stephanie
Mclean)
14
Newcomb Secondary College
7
(Kirsty Woolley)
( Jenny Gibson)
Northern Bay
5
(Mel Homes and Ellie Prior)
St Joseph’s College
(Lauren Huphris)
Sacred Heart College
6
(Catherine Gulli)
16
The Geelong College
2
Lara Secondary College
1
TOTAL
122
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT Youth Forum was facilitated by the GEEYOUNG PROJECT
Team of Alex Suwitra (MC), Molly White (MC), Kelly Read (Event Artist) with support
from three new Geeyoung Team members: Toby Ford, Sophie Hunt and Tanya
Whitmore. This provided insight into other young people’s willingness to join the
Geeyoung project Team and direct evidence of the capacity of young people to lead
complex processes (following substantial investment in training and support).
An outcome of the event included the willingness of the schools and
education program and Youth Development Unit staff to organise and support the
attendance of diverse students.
Participants were asked:

What is working well for young people in Geelong?

To share a moment that had resulted in pride and why?

To develop a vision from the best of their past
As is to be expected, participants responded with a wide array of things that are
working well for young people in Geelong. Despite a raft of positives, some factors
came up repeatedly:
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Education options and opportunities
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Sporting clubs and opportunities
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Headspace & health support services
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Music
Students from so many different schools produced a dynamic environment.
The picture that emerged is of a future Geelong and its young people who are known
for creating a happy community - recognised for its celebration and respect of
diversity. The clear message from young people present on the day - working in
independent groups - is that they see investment in young people facilitating
awareness raising with their peers about opportunities in Geelong from a young age
as a prerequisite to social, creative and business sustainability in Geelong.
Young people described a happy community with a physical and educational
infrastructure that supports the development of young minds - places in the CBD
where young people can come together and express ideas. Including a focus on the
look and feel of spaces and the concept of joining together across school, culture
and religious boundaries.
Once a vision for Geelong had been established, the question became, “how do we
get there?”
An important message prioritised by young people was that they clearly see bullying
as a great risk / barrier to achieve their vision - and they want to be involved in a
creating a bully free and aware culture with some of the following elements that
they have time and space and place to develop and then deliver:
- Campaigns, role models, music and festivals that promote a safer community
- One unified community and one future evidenced by schools connection, cultural
awareness through education, a significant meeting place that is inclusive of all
young people
- Being and creating the future they want to see
Engaging Geelong business leaders
THE engagement of the Geelong business community in the strategy development
process should be regarded as a major achievement. Business people were
responsive and the source of creative aspirations for Geelong.
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Cr Jan Farrell illustrated importance of building and sustaining community
relationships. While Geelong grows, there is no doubt that the Community Youth
Strategy needs to continue to involve people who spend time building and
sustaining relationships in the community.
COGG Economic Development Unit and staff illustrated the importance of working
across COGG work units and their reach into businesses. The Community Youth
Strategy will require continued cooperation (and learning) between work units.
13
A consultation with 20 businesses in hearings held over three days.
A personal invitation from Cr Jan Farrell was distributed to the business community
with support from the COGG Economic Development Unit. The invitation was to
attend hearings with the GEEYOUNG PROJECT Team for 45 minutes on either the 26,
27 June or 3 July.
Name
Todd Hubers
Ross Synot
Leah Ingles
Jodie Davis
Nick Stahl
Brian Maloney
Anthea Mallabone
Wayne Lynch
Clive Pugh
Lisa Barton
Mark Edmonds
John Delorenzo
Sue Raynor
Justin Giddings
Raj Marfatia
Kim Tobin
Bryan Dennis
Position
Owner
Business Manager
Business Manager
Manager
General Manager
Owner
Early Childhood
Manager
Project Officer
General Manager
Human Resources
Manager
CEO
Manager
School Liaison
General Manager
Owner
Director
General Manager
Business
Merevik on Ryrie
OPTUS Business
BIO2ic
All Axis Aviation
Boundary Bend Olives
BM Legal
Geelong Kindergarten
Association
Department of Education
and Early Childhood
Development
Winchester Australia
Vic Roads
FAGGS Mitre 10
SPE Management
The Gordon
Avalon Airport
AMG Architects
Cavalier Art Supplies
Four Points Sheraton
Businesses included start up businesses run by young entrepreneurs – the result of a
direct approach to young business owners by Economic Development. A feature of
the young business group was a desire to contribute and a desire to shape their
business to the youth market. This goes to the heart of how young business and
potential young business is supported in Geelong.

Jodie Davis - All Axis Aviation at Lethbridge - seeking to partner with schools to
bring aviation to all young people
 Tod Hubers - Merevik on Ryrie establishing business share space / incubator - at
cutting edge of technology based innovation - Game Interface engagement with
young people/ vision for City of the Future. Followed up with ideas relating to
community ownership and youth branding
CBD focussed (business owners wanting to put back into creating a CBD that is
informed by and includes young people in the physical design and as members of the
business environment
14
Raj Marfatia - AMG Architects - with a desire to contribute to young people being
involved in enterprise start up in a CBD revitalisation
 Kim Tobin - Director Cavalier Art Supplies - development of youth enterprise as a
key feature of COGG Lanes Project
Youth friendly CEO’s / Managers of businesses employing significant numbers of
young people and with community engagement interest
 Mark Edmonds - FAGGS Mitre 10. Part of (Business manager) of iconic locally
owned business Involved in current expansion of business into growth area
 Bryan Dennis - General Manager Sheraton Geelong with over 80% of staff
between the ages of 18-23.
Community minded business people with significant community standing including:
 Brian Maloney - Owner BM Legal with a track record of youth mentoring and
community support
Business Managers of significant long-term businesses in region with connections to
young people through intergenerational employment including;
 Clive Pugh - Winchester Fire Arms - intergenerational employment in business
 John Delarenzo - SPE Management - regional forestry
 Justin Giddings - General Manager Avalon airport
 Nick Stahl - General Manager Boundary Bend Olives - a big player in Australian
olives and a growing company interested in ideas for supporting youth enterprise
development
The business hearing invitation also attracted representation from the education and
training sectors including DEECD and the Gordon.
 Sue Raynor - School Liaison The Gordon, provided connection to VCAL in schools.
 Greg Leahy Project Officer for Skilling the Bay also indicated interest in the
GEEYOUNG PROJECT being involved in the future Skilling the Bay vision project.
Outcomes
The consultations with businesses achieved significant outcomes including:
 New relationship between economic development unit and youth unit in COGG major potential;
 Diverse range of businesses at hearings;
 Understanding that many business owners want to support young people into the
Geelong business community;
 Relationship building with local businesses who want to stay involved;
 Connection to aspiring young business owners;
 Ideas around a model of supporting young people into business in Geelong;
 Interest in forming a business team to support the GEEYOUNG PROJECT;
 Engagement of higher education - Gordon and DEECD;
 Engagement of a State Government entity – VIC ROADS – and examples of new
forms of youth engagement - including an innovative young worker program that
is being facilitated through the human resources unit.
15
STRATEGIC ELEMENTS
Youth Vision
An extensive consultation/ visioning process has resulted in an emerging consensus
and significant progress towards a shared understanding of what young people are
seeking to achieve with their community. The multi-layered approach was bottom
up and involved a range of formats and locations facilitated by young consultants,
with high-level support early on, but increasing independence. It is worth noting,
coming out of that initial consultation was held with stakeholders who participated
in the BYSP in November 2011, that the workshop raised the ideas of young people
leading the GEEYOUNG PROJECT in five years time, as well as young people opening
up spaces that they own and spaces for young people.
After training, a small team of local young people (GEEYOUNG PROJECT Team),
started consultations from January 2012 at events using a simple survey/
conversation technique. The vision for the future was often influenced by the nature
of the event - e.g. music event - more music. But the theme that constantly emerged
was about a positive social and economic future.
The process sought opportunities to reach out to more culturally diverse young
people and commenced a series of focus groups and conversations with the support
of the COGG Youth Development Unit.
The consultations revealed that many young people have very positive
experiences of Geelong, especially participating in sporting and cultural events and
when actively engaged in local learning and earning opportunities. Young people
expressed their general life aspirations and some ideas about a better Geelong - a
city with a stronger sense of ‘community’, and, a city that truly ‘works together’.
Young people value the current education and employment opportunities and want
to participate and contribute more to the development of these in their community.
They expressed a desire for a community where finding what you need is easier.
The Youth Forum in August brought together key people out of an extensive
prior process of consultation. It resulted in a powerful and shared vision for the
future developed by young people. The following vision statements were developed
independently in table working groups - the alignment between groups confirmed
the growing consensus emerging in the words of young people:
HAPPINESS THROUGH AWARENESS
We have created a town, which is respectful, accepting, encouraging and creates
opportunities to achieve.
We have awareness, which creates action, which then creates changes.
16
Our community is happier and there is less bullying, raised awareness, more help
alternatives, acceptance of diversity, happier people, educated people, assisting those less
fortunate.
DIVERSITY & CULTURE THROUGH LEADERSHIP
A community that respects and celebrates Diversity and difference, by creating a new
culture with positive, strong, determined and inspirational leaders.
PARTICIPATION & EDUCATION SPACES THAT CROSS BOUNDARIES
Young minds - A place - a design (e.g. treehouse) where young people can meet and
express ideas - deep and meaningful conversation and JOIN TOGETHER (schools - joining
together to achieve a common goal - create a better Geelong and a better schools
environment.
One community - One future - more connectedness between schools.
We are setting goals.
Young people run for government.
EMPLOYMENT
We have careers and world-class education.
There is social, business, creative, sustainability through awareness.
Some of the topics are familiar aspirations. But, young people are not asking for the
future to be created by others. They are requesting support in forming the process
and structure that will take them a next step. It is important to continue the process,
driven by those already involved but then expending out. The generated ideas and
community of interest amongst young people will be lost if not harnessed.
THE engagement of the Geelong business community in the strategy
development process should be regarded as a major achievement. Business people
were responsive and the source of creative aspirations for Geelong.

Cr Jan Farrell illustrated importance of building and sustaining community
relationships. While Geelong grows, there is no doubt that the Community Youth
Strategy needs to continue to involve people who spend time building and
sustaining relationships in the community.
 COGG Economic Development Unit and staff illustrated the importance of working
across COGG work units and their reach into businesses. The Community Youth
Strategy will require continued cooperation (and learning) between work units.
Importantly young business leaders also shared their vision for a future thinking
Geelong. They reinforced the message that young business owners also have a
desire to work along side other young people to create a future proof vision for
Geelong. Again, whether this vision is about aviation excellence or software
technology leadership, the common feature is a desire to work with others and to
especially open up opportunities for young people to shape a positive and innovative
future. Many other business leaders in the community reinforced this goal and have
17
stayed engaged with the process - evidenced by their attendance at the capstone
stake-holders forum - where business owners, community stakeholders and the
GEEYOUNG PROJECT young facilitators came together and confirmed interest in be
part of the next phase of the GEEYOUNG PROJECT.
The other key learning is that young people do and will participate in
community life with or without the GEEYOUNG PROJECT. This can be positive or
negative, cooperative or uncooperative, as separate youth subcultures and groups or
businesses or working with others in their community. It is also true that the
message from many young people is that while they will continue to commence may
of their own endeavours separately and together – that not everything is possible
without facilitation and support from the community.
It is important to stay aware that the voice of young people is not one clear
message but many ideas, nevertheless there are some common themes. The youth
forum on 14 August was held as a key culmination event (a line in the sand) for
youth to youth conversations and it certainly confirmed the emerging consensus.
The consensus was that many young people want to work with each other to
develop their community. They seem quite aware of the shortfall in terms of how
planning in a single school or peer group might take place. When asked about how
they would go about shaping the future of Greater Geelong at the youth forum –
their responses were not just about the outcome – but more about the process and
space that would enable them to come together.
This vision places many considerations at the feet of the young people who
have been involved until now and who want to be involved into the future. One of
the major issues is to ensure that this does not just all of a sudden become a strategy
that is driven by well-meaning adults, consultants and COGG. Young people are not
asking for the future to be created by others.
A feature has been the high degree of care taken to maintain the original voice
of young people. Young people will need to continue to explore the best ways of
inviting their peers to contribute to the emerging shared vision.
They are requesting support in forming the process and structure that will give
them a next step. In the immediate term, there is energy to go on a journey that has
been started. This energy and in particular the drive by those who have generated
ideas will be lost if not harnessed.
Process - Considerations
The fundamental outcome and therefore core of the Community Youth Strategy is
maintaining the focus on a process of expanding and creating a sustainable network
of young people who can participate in the process of community youth strategic
planning, not as consumers but as creative co-producers and decision-makers. The
goal of this process is to work towards a structure/ organisation owned and led by
young people – and in the doing so to not lose site of the fluid, free supportive
approach that has provided insight into the facilitation needed. And, the
18
fundamental resource for the further implementation of the strategy is an outcome
of the process so far – the people who are engaged and who been experienced in
the process of building a participatory plan and future for young people in Geelong.
The success of the next step, in what is a constructive capacity building
exercise, depends on working with those already engaged. Without embracing this
basic understanding, ‘youth participation’ lives as no more than a slogan or an
aspiration that is never realised. The strategy focuses on living the reality in the
present and through the process, by giving sufficient support so that the young
participants can increasingly and more confidently drive the process forward.
This argument may seem counter-intuitive to some. This is often the case with
teachers and other professionals who are trained to exercise various degrees of
authority over young people or implement programs for young people. While there
can be no doubt that inspired innovations and reforms come about due to the drive
of key individuals working in the interests of young people, there is a contradiction if
leadership from above becomes a habit of making everything happen from above. A
dilemma for youth workers and all those who advocate for young people is that
actions from above can easily overshadow and exclude the molecular efforts of
young people working from below. The Geelong Community Strategy Plan process
has seriously attempted to redress this dilemma by reconciling the two through an
uncompromised participatory approach. Conservative thinking might cynically
suggest that the strategy process being undertaken is like the ‘inmates running the
asylum’ to use a very un-PC 19th century simile or like ‘the tail wagging the dog’. But,
the answer to that kind of thinking is to say: Yes - we are suggesting that young
people should be deeply involved in planning for their own future and in its decisionmaking. Stronger communities, more actively engaged citizens and a high degree of
social inclusion are the broad outcomes that this approach promises.
Another reflection on how far the project has come is that while stakeholders
wanted a community youth strategy developed by young people, ‘youth
participation’ as such was not an explicit goal of the community youth strategy plan
project at the outset. This being so, the project could have gone in a number of
directions all called a ‘community youth strategy plan’. However, by remaining true
to a genuinely participatory process, the result has been to bring together of the
community (those and that part of the community so far engaged) around the
common cause and shared vision for the future for young people. By continuing to
travel on this journey, the perceptions of young people by others will be shifted and
the ways that others in the community interact with and support young people will
also be changed.
Practical steps
Secure resources to enable young people to continue to lead the implementation
phase of the Community Youth Strategy.
 Establish a simple process that will enable those who have contributed to the
vision so far to come back together on a regular basis – with a goal establishing
19




youth led development of Geelong culture – which will include a space – not as an
end point but as a gathering place to pursue the vision as it unfolds.
Ensure that the process is underpinned by young people being trained and
supported to not get lost in the energy, excitement and theories of those who
want to join with them.
Actively disseminate the GEEYOUNG Youth Prospectus invitation to other young
people and to the business community and social community and government
seeking further involvement.
Build an organisational structure that can self support an enterprise that is owned
by young people and their community partners – an investment in young people an INVITATION to young people and to business partners.
And then develop a world class open learning creative space – designed and built
by young people – while this is number 6 – it needs to be remembered that it may
just be the catalyst to bring all together.
Sustainable Structure - Considerations
In the development of the Geelong Youth Strategy, ‘youth participation’ is at the very
centre of the project and the process. The GEEYOUNG PROJECT, as with The Geelong
Project being pursued by the youth agencies and schools, have both come out of the
prior work of the Better Youth Service Pilot program and its youth agenda for Geelong.
The idea of ‘youth participation’ itself is not new and belongs in the changes in
the way institutions and organisations in the late 20th and early 21st century are
tending to operate. Human rights and democratic values are important underpinning
cultural foundations for consumer and citizen participation in all areas. Thus, in the
broadest sense, ‘youth participation is about active citizenship and social inclusion.
However, when it comes to youth participation, the acceptance of the notion in
principle is much more widespread than its reality.
The consultation process has been a successful exercise in capacity-building for
‘youth participation’ in Geelong. Hundreds of young people have contributed and
over 100 have indicated that would welcome further involvement. Twenty
businesses came forward to support the work of the project and share their
aspirations for Geelong’s youth. The GEEYOUNG Youth Forum on 14 th August 2012
brought together 120 young people from at least eleven schools and educational
programs and produced some strong messages about what young people want.
In many different comments, made during the conversations and discussions,
young people voiced aspirations for opportunities to meet and organise events and
activities. They expressed an aspiration to have more control over their lives and the
notion of getting together was strongly expressed. Discussions amongst the youth
facilitation team and the consultants further processed these thoughts. What follows
is some thinking about how these aspirations of young people could be turned into
something real and sustainable.
For youth participation to be a sustainable permanent feature of Geelong
community life, there needs to be an open structure or organisation that actively
20
involves young people from the local university and TAFE, the Geelong schools as
well as young people in alternative education settings or in the labour market. The
envisaged not-for-profit youth enterprise would act as a crucible or incubator for
peer-to-peer learning and youth support in Geelong. Council should consider a youth
space somewhere in Central Geelong, not a ‘drop-in centre’, but a place where
youth activity and planning for the future agenda can be organised. The Council YDU
team could play an important role in facilitating this, along with other mentors and
facilitators involved as required. Young people would ultimately run the proposed
organisation and the space(s) it occupies in much the same way as Melbourne’s SYN
media.
The missing link in any serious ambition for ‘youth participation’ is how to
facilitate self-organised reproducible activity by young people themselves. Council
should consider sourcing some funding for a wider group of young people – ‘youth
participation’ activists or youth facilitators, some who could be trainees and others
who might be volunteers, who would form an expanded core group that later on
would form the basis of the self-activating youth enterprise.
There needs to be a modest budget for a strong GEEYOUNG PROJECT web
presence that allows young people to manage the content themselves (i.e. a
content management website) as well means to develop the social networking via
internet tools that have been in this project.
GEEYOUNG PROJECT may not be quite the ‘youth brand’ envisaged in the
BYSP, but it has successfully become a recognized brand/ symbol for the youth
participation strategy work / youth led planning in Geelong. The existing reach of
this brand needs to be tested and refined/ applied and further developed.
The major focus now should be on planning for how the GEEYOUNG Youth
Prospectus can be implemented beyond March 2013. Much of this is already
resourced in the existing budget and some of it is about working differently. The next
steps are about building on the foundations from the work done to this point, and,
this process can happen as quickly or as slowly as resources allow.
Central to the Strategy being successful are the following:




COGG leads the development of youth creative open space thinking, awareness
and planning spaces (that also host activities - driven more and more by young
people)
12 -24 month auspice by COGG with planned transfer to youth led governance
model;
COGG to negotiate with major governance, project development and vision
projects to carry and expand the participation of young people. And to partner in
establishment of the centre;
Establish fee for service capacity by the GEEYOUNG Space - running as an
enterprise.
21
The following table summarises some of the learning, issues and key themes that
have come from the consultation process with appropriate actions and the
outcomes that would be sought.
Mapping the evidence and outcomes
Learnings and Issues
Actions
Outcomes
Governance – the idea
that youth participation is
not just about
participation in youth
activities but about a role
in Geelong governance
and planning
Establishment of a GEEYOUNG
PROJECT Team function within
YDU - as the immediate ‘go to
facilitation team’ for designing
and involving other young
people in all community
governance, vision and service
planning.
Short-term: support for youth
participation team of young people to
progress GEEYOUNG PROJECT.
Medium Term: an increased voice for
young people in the development and
implementation of the next Council
Youth Plan.
Longer-term: The youth team
becomes the core of a wider group of
young activists and participants in
youth enterprise and youth space.
Expanded core group to set up youth
space and youth enterprise.
Continue the
opportunities to maintain
the GEEYOUNG process
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT
has been a learning
experience for the young
people involved.
A Youth Brand was an
aspiration coming out of
the GBYSP and supported
by young people during
the consultations
.
The Web – social media
tools explored, a lot was
learned but the potential
was unfulfilled.
Education and
employment come up
time and again but young
people seek greater input
and involvement.
Expand current team beyond
core group using traineeships
and youth volunteers
Continue supporting the
Core team expanded and self-acting.
GEEYOUNG team with facilitation
and some resources
Space and place – young
people suggested ideas
that amount to a youth
space. As project thinking
became more
sophisticated this became
the idea of an
autonomous youth
enterprise
External fund raising
GEEYOUNG PROJECT teams and
COGG YDU staff to research the
practical feasibility and financial
dimensions of creating a selfacting youth network with its
own space for presentation to
COGG for the 2013-2014 budget
cycle
Retain GEEYOUNG brand as a
brand for ‘youth participation’
A generic youth brand developed by
the time of the Geelong Youth
Strategy Plan.
Support the maintenance and
further development of the
GEEYOUNG web and social
media activity.
A budget for employing trainees,
part-time workers and
supporting volunteers from the
young people coming into the
GEEYOUNG process.
Active GEEYOUNG website and social
media activity.
- Paid P/T employment for youth
facilitators/ leaders;
- Specific roles and tasks for young
people within the community youth
plan;
- Ongoing involvement of young
people, not just episodic events.
GEEYOUNG youth space/place plan.
Form a taskforce to plan for
A fund to support the development of
external funds leveraged against the youth space in the CBD and the
COGG investment and The
youth enterprise operating it.
Geelong Project development
22
APPENDIX 1:
A GEEYOUNG YOUTH PROSPECTUS / INVITATION
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT (Geelong Community Youth Strategy) has focused how to deliver a
resourced process and structure for supporting young people to be the youth voice and coplanners for all major governance and vision processes taking place in Geelong from now and
into the future.
The GEEYOUNG Community Youth Strategy requires the development and launch of a twoway prospectus with the following features:
 An invitation for young people to continue their new journey: The FIRST audience is
YOUNG PEOPLE in Geelong. It is an invitation for young people to get more involved. The
prospectus would be distributed to every young person in Geelong schools as well as
young people associated with programs and activities outside of schools.
The Prospectus / Invitation could be distributed to other interested stakeholders with a
cover letter explaining how they could come on board and support the process.

A invitation for community, business and current governance / vision initiatives to
support the development of a physical structure (space) and buy into the process of
having young people create their Geelong and their economic and cultural opportunities.
The invitation will include:
(A) BRIEF THEORY BASE
(B)



STRATEGIC VISION
The beginning of a shared vision by young people
The beginning of a shared vision by engaged business members
A process for establishing a youth led community wide understanding of what is being
aspired to - VISION
(C) STRATEGY AS STRUCTURE
• Role of COGG
• Governance structure for proposed GEEYOUNG space development
(D) STRATEGY AS PROCESS - COMPONENTS
• Supporting a collaborative approach between young people and their community
(including the business & education community) to achieve a bright and wonderful future
in Geelong
• At the core of the strategy is a space/s and support for young people to trial, create, meet
and build their Geelong. It will be a space and process that gives young people the tools,
support and ownership to join in the refinement and achievement of the things that
matter to them in Geelong now and the future. The Prospectus responds directly to
desire by young people to establish a purposeful creative and open space in the CBD,
place and time for diverse young people to develop ideas together and create a happier
community
23
•
•
The process that takes place in the CBD physical space will be transferable
It will operate as an enterprise - with capacity built to provide volunteerism, paid
facilitation work, traineeships and experience linked to local learning institutions
• It will be established within current spaces with the goal to establish a purpose designed
space under the auspice of an independent youth board
The prospectus will invite young people and community to contribute to building the space
and process inclusive of:
•
•
•
•
•
1. VOICE
Proposed ways to enhance young peoples capacity to express their ideas and here the
voices of all young people who are involved in Geelong.
2. RECOGNITION
Expansion of what is already working such as current Impetus Awards - to include e.g.
young business & young workers
Positive media - developing own media
3. INCLUSION
Young people in government
Young people planning outside of traditional issues and programs – young people
involved in broader social and economic planning
•
•
4. YOUNG IDEAS & GEELONG IDEAS
Skills, training, traineeships and volunteerism
Development of awareness programs that young people run
•
•
•
•
5. ENTEPRISE - BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT
Ideas for developing young enterprise skills and opportunities
Supporting young business people
Business mentoring
Business programs by young business for young business
•
•
5. CREATIVITY
Spaces to practice passions – music, dance, art
Space to create
•
•
6. DIVERSITY
Welcoming diversity in every way
A place that welcomes new young people to the Geelong community
•
•
7. CBD CULTURE
Contributing to creating the culture and positive reputation of the Geelong CBD
Young people in young business
24
APPENDIX 2
Geelong Better Youth Services Pilot (BYSP)
- Exerts from Executive Summary Nov 2010
The Geelong Better Youth Services Project (BYSP or Geelong BYSP) was an invitation to
community stakeholders to join a journey from a good place to an even better place. The
Geelong BYSP has developed a local vision of moving from a cooperative service culture and
context to an organised community of youth services (i.e. services for young people, including
schools) that works across sectors and organisations.
The Geelong BYSP represents a change process in Geelong, but its local findings have the
capacity (and in fact need) to inform change at the broader conceptual and policy level.
Potentially, the pilot informs a whole of government and community vision for vulnerable
young people and how local service coordination might be designed to incorporate a diversity
of community visions about how local services can better meet the needs of vulnerable young
people …
… Phase 1 of the Geelong BYSP has yielded significant outcomes for the Geelong community
and its young people. The networks, agencies, practitioners, community members and young
people are lined up to design and implement the projects that developed in the first phase of
the Geelong BYSP.
The emerging Geelong community of youth services has prioritised the creation of a
community ‘big picture’ of what everyone is working together to achieve – a Community
Youth Strategic Plan. This has been highlighted as the No. 1 priority for action.
PROJECT OUTCOMES
Findings
Project
Outcomes
Consensus that planning is
fundamentally important.
Stakeholders could see that a
community plan would include
the Council youth plan and knit
together the efforts of services
and agencies across sectors.
Project ‘Community Youth
Strategic Plan’
- Community indicators
against which various
combined effort to support
and help young people can be
measured (not just program
specific measures against
contracts)
A broad consensus was achieved
during the consultation process
about stepping up to an
organised and resourced
‘community of youth services’
(Option c)
Project ‘organisational
model development’
- A report on proposed
organisational options and or
Model(s)
Only 50% of young people who
said they needed help knew
where to go;
Project ‘youth brand’
- Greater awareness amongst
young people and community
members of where to go for
help;
Young people generally don’t
25
under stand the system of
support services available to
them.
A lot of effort is expended to
share information – widely seen
as time-consuming and partial
successful;
- Greater efficiency in
providing timely help to
young people in need.
Project ‘communications’
- A social marketing plan for
issues to do with vulnerable
young people – the
‘community of youth services’
would be engaged in a
campaign,
Perceived need to engage in
social marketing to the Geelong
community.
No real-time community picture
of vulnerability of Geelong’s
young people;
Project ‘data and research’
Information and statistics mainly
used for proposals although
workers and agencies aspire to
better and more timely data.
Young people took up
opportunities to contribute to the
GBYSP process.
- Timely data on the number
of vulnerable young people in
Geelong;
- Local community indicators
on the outcomes for
vulnerable young people.
Project ‘youth participation’
- Paid P/T employment for
youth facilitators/ leaders;
- Specific roles and tasks for
young people within the
community youth plan;
Young people proved capable
with the appropriate support and
facilitation of constructive action
Experience of engaging in intersectoral professional
development is seen to be a
major contributing factor in the
Geelong achievement – people
get to know each other and
understand more about what
others workers do.
- A single shared source of
information via web 2.0
technologies
- Ongoing involvement of
young people, not just
episodic events.
Project ‘inter-sectoral
professional development’
- A regular induction program
for all new workers and
teachers coming into the
Geelong youth services
system;
- An annual program of intersectoral PDs.
- An annual conference or
series of workshops for
workers and teachers.
Consensus that to go beyond the
level of cooperation and
coordination that already exists
in Geelong will require some
dedicated resources.
Project ‘funding’
26
- A report on funding costings
and options that could be
considered by all levels of
Government.
APPENDIX 3
The #GEEYOUNG PROJECT Social Media Engagement Plan
Goal: To foster engagement and interaction from young people throughout Geelong during
the consultation process (and beyond).
Method: Open, but co-ordinated discussion across social media networks, and curated
generated content on a central website.
GEEYOUNGPROJECT.org / GEEYOUNG.ORG
The GEEYOUNG.org website will be the central supporting pillar of the strategy.
GEEYOUNG.org will detail the project, gather and contextualise content, co-ordinate timed
discussions and encourage further participation. The site will be heavily geared towards a
young readership. The site will include:
• An energetic outline of the project;
• Visible twitter and Facebook integration;
• A moderated forum to promote freeform discussion;
• Co-ordination of weekly/monthly discussions on set topics;
• Multimedia content such as photo galleries and video, ideally created by participants, to
provide an energetic environment
Facebook + Twitter
Facebook and Twitter are well known and already fully developed. Google+ and other similar
tools are useful, but it would be better to focus resources on good work in fewer sites. If
there is a need for additional media tools or if there is a call for something else, then this
decision could be re-evaluated.
• Go to stake-holders particularly young people: Rather than attempting to wrestle an
audience over to the GEEYOUNG hub, facilitate discussion on platforms they are already
using.
• Facebook: Create a facebook.com/GEEYOUNG page. Push content from GEEYOUNG there
and promote sharing of GEEYOUNG content on the site through buttons at the hub. As
the project clarifies particular categories for strategic action, discussions with
stakeholders can be facilitated using Facebook groups around a Facebook location for the
overall, project.
• Twitter: Create the @GEEYOUNG profile to act as a news feed on the project. Promote
use of the #GEEYOUNG tag as a way to flag talk on the project. The operator of
@GEEYOUNG will retweet all #GEEYOUNG posts and actively interact with those using it
to promote discussion.
• Take the content generated on these social networks and import it to the GEEYOUNG site.
This will cast a wide net while producing a quantifiable base of evidence about the extent
of participation and its content.
Driving participation
Of course, the proposed virtual infrastructure requires participation. The following are
suggested measures to boost participation.
• Advertise the sites and channels at initial gatherings. Drive young people to ‘like’ and
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•
•
•
•
•
•
‘follow’ social media profiles immediately by drawing a prize at event’s end from amongst
those following. Mobile devices make this quite feasible.
Prizes also work throughout – offer a cinema voucher to the 50th follower, or to the
provider of the best video submission.
Most young people in the 12-18 year old group will be in education mainly schools, and a
significant proportion of the 19-24 year old group will also be in some form of education.
Young project ambassadors could visit schools and put up posters and distribute cards to
enable young people to sign up. The aim would be for hundreds of participants.
Create a steering group of young people to form the foundation of the online community.
They will act as peer reviewers of the process and drive take-up within their peer groups.
Most importantly, they will provide a baseline of participation, traffic and presence.
MoHow moderators ensure comments and posts made on or imported to the GEEYOUNG
site are appropriate. Explicit and aggressive materials that could prevent participation will
be removed.
A basic rule of social media is be social not anti-social. Communication should be two-way.
This will also help draw out more detailed responses.
Invite users to submit photos of Geelong via twitter. Have site visitors vote on their
favourites. The assembled work will provide an organic snapshot of what is drawing the
eye of local youth. Offer something to the photo that garners the most ‘likes’.
Planned discussion
Creating and rolling out a schedule of discussion topics will serve as a focus for participation.
• Activation of new topics fortnightly. Start with broad topics like “what would you most
like the community to achieve?” and use responses to feed more specific lines of inquiry
down the line. For example, if a participant answers, “more green energy”, a future
question would be “how can we make Geelong more sustainable?”
• Hosted topics on the GEEYOUNG site and propagate to social networks.
• Consultation responses/discussions imported to GEEYOUNG in a timely way to
demonstrate they are valued and in order to promote further discussion.
• Accompany each topic with a thread on the forum to provide another avenue for
interaction that can continue further than a fortnight.
Tools
•
•
•
•
The use of free, easily available tools allows for a transparent process and encourages
young participants to get involved at a deeper level.
Facebook Like button: Embed into GEEYOUNG posts to promote sharing and wider
dispersion of material. http://tinyurl.com/4ouapkv
Tweet feed: Provide a rolling, real-time display of tweets including the #GEEYOUNG tag
on the GEEYOUNG homepage. http://tinyurl.com/237qdg8
Storify: A tool to curate social media content and assemble it into cohesive articles
without losing context. http://tinyurl.com/426zokl
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APPENDIX 4
Reflections on GEEYOUNG PROJECT
A feature of all conversations with young people has been that the three young people who
made up the core group – Alex, Molly and Kelly, have facilitated the conversations. Their
experiences passed on to others will inform the future work to expand the involvement of
young people as leaders in community planning – some reflections in their own words are
presented below:
The GEEYOUNG PROJECT provided a big challenge to the three of us, but it was one we
took on willing to learn from, and to be tested.
The experience was something none of us had been through before. Though we had the
support of Mo, the Youth Development Unit, and so many other experienced people, we
were often pushed in the deep end to figure it all out ourselves, which as it turns out,
wasn’t a bad thing at all.
When we began this project, Molly could barely speak two sentences in front of 30
school kids without falling to pieces. By the time the Youth Forum came around, she was
presenting to nearly 200 school students without crying just to think about it! Kelly had
to take on the maintenance of the website, as well as social media duties, and found that
the responsibility and the challenges faced in her role were all worth it when she was
able to overcome and achieve the set goals. In her own words: “To find out you don’t
totally suck”.
Being organized is something most young people probably don’t value very highly. But
it’s a skill the 3 of us were almost forced to take on, to varying degrees. We are mostly
organized people, but the GEEYOUNG PROJECT took this to another level. When it comes
to dealing with Government/local government, businesses and other high-functioning
bodies, you have to have communications skills and the ability to keep everyone on the
same page. Molly became our “Communications Woman” and had to keep track of most
of the team’s activity while we all stepped up our game in keeping ourselves in on the
action, and this has translated into other walks of life, in our other work and especially at
school. The ability to ‘switch off’ at home also stemmed from this, something that we
were not entirely good at beforehand, but working on the project it became so much
more important.
The three of us believe that Geelong is a great place to live, and to have come from.
There is so much going on here to make the region an even better place, but it feels like a
lot of people don’t know what’s going on, and maybe we need to connect all these great
initiatives together and get their names known.
From young people specifically, we’ve heard in the street, at events, at schools and at our
youth forum about their desire to feel connected. They want to know more about what’s
out there if they need assistance, more about awareness of diversity, of opportunities, of
ways to embrace cultures and other differences, and live in a community, where
everything is connected.
We feel the same. There could be some kind of ‘brand’ that would link all of the youth-
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related programs in Geelong, and be instantly recognizable everywhere, with a heavy
online and face-to-face presence. Young people’s involvement is of high priority, but the
mentoring component cannot be understated. For example, there could be a
website/app (similar to Youth Central, but focused on Geelong) which provides all the
information about any service available in our region; even a booking system to get into
appointments. But young people can also have control of this website, with dedicated
groups or committees running activities/roaming journalism/competitions, working with
older students or volunteers in their desired field of interest and also supported by adults.
It’s this pairing of ages and skill sets, along with the value of an adult present, where the
right balance can be found. So not only is there a place for all young people to go to find
the answers to any questions they have, but also to come together and organize these
activities or take part in them, or work with a uni student on filming a piece for the site
because that’s what they are interested in. Similarly there could be a ‘committee’ of
school captains, where once a month they meet with the leaders of other schools in the
region and discuss their ideas and that they’ve done in their own school community.
We are still young ourselves and we’ve met and worked with so many people we
probably never would have met otherwise, speaking for our generation to some high
level individuals and giving voice to groups who may often not be heard. This experience
alone has shaped us as people, and we would all like to continue down this path of
community/youth development. We are all glad we took part in the GEEYOUNG
PROJECT; it is something none of us will ever forget.
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