BATFORCE School Focused Youth Service
December 2011 Minutes
Next Meeting
Thursday 2nd February 2012
10am to Midday
To be advised
Minutes of the Meeting - December 2011
ATTENDANCE
Lynn Longworth
Leigh Bartlett
Peter Brown
Sarah Lewis
Cass Langdon
Jamie Jones
Molly White
Anna Burke
Nina Cleary
Jill Meade
Margaret McIntyre
Sarah Lynn
Bree Moyes
Margaret Reed
Apologies
Jill Chapman
BATForce
BATForce
Chair
DEECD
Mentor
CoGG
CoGG
DHS
Barwon Youth
Barwon Youth
Time 4 Youth
BCH
Grovedale Coll
Centrecare
Mel Taylor
Greg Hansen
Pete Jacobson
Monica Butler
Kelly Clancy
Alex Suwitra
Malcolm Sanders
Mary Kotev
Marina Power
Maree Watson
Clare Barrett
Jayde Mulder
Andie Heppell
BATForce
BATForce
DEECD
CoGG
Reconnect
CoGG
Courthouse
Diversitat
Barwon Youth
Barwon Youth
Catholic Care
Headspace
Centrecare
BCLS
Dave Moar
DEECD
Introduction & Welcome – Peter Brown – Chairperson
Host Presentation – Courthouse Youth Art – Malcolm Sanders
Courthouse ARTS is under a new artistic leadership. It has moved into refurbished premises and reinvention
is the spine for our 2012 artistic program.
Story and construction of narrative will be the key elements in all the presentations and classes. Low Fi will
employ as a method of creation. Experimentation will form the basis for programmed works.
Our building is a happy traffic of people and ideas. Geelong possesses exciting emerging film makers, visual
artists and performers. It has a rich history in music and surf culture, this new artistic program will harness
this heritage and provide a platform for new arts action in this city. In order to create outstanding work, there
must be a community of trust and encouragement. We want to grow a new culture of creation and in order to
do this Courthouse ARTS must feed the needs of existing artists to show that it is possible to live a creative
life in regional Victoria.
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Courthouse ARTS offers Positions in Residence to people under the age of twentyseven each year. Currently we have two such positions; these are filled for 2012 by:
Sarah Hayes - Photographer
Sarah is the principal photographer at a-nom’-a-ly’, one of Geelong’s most innovative and dynamic
photographers. Sarah has a unique view of the world around her and creates images that re-present her
subjects in an entirely new light. You can see some of her work at Courthouse Arts in an upcoming
exhibition of images from the annual Falls Festival. In 2012 she will be working with local teens to develop a
travelling photographic exhibition of their view of life in Geelong.
a-nom’-a-ly’ (noun) something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected
Ben Neoh - Curator
Ben has practiced as a full time graphic designer for the last two years since studying at the Arts Academy
(University of Ballarat). He assisted with the curation of No Vacancy Gallery in Melbourne, and has himself
curated the group show Please Welcome at KUBU Art Studio and Light up Geelong in a disused shop in
Market Square, which aimed to not only unite the creative community but also to generate public interest
through presenting arts in more accessible formats.
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
Rachel Joy – Visual Artist
Rachel is a Melbourne based visual artist who takes old-school printmaking techniques to the streets with
her paste-ups of messed up pop-culture icons. She likes to play with our pre-conceived ideas about identity,
history, space and place. Rachel has received artists’ residencies, commissions and is published in books
and journals. Her work has been exhibited at the national Wool Museum, the Counihan, George Paton,
Margaret Lawrence, and Brunswick Street Galleries and is held in the Acacia Art Collection.
Rachel has received residencies in such places as Tasmania, Warburton WA and Taiwan, but this is her first
one in her old home town, Geelong.
Courthouse ARTS is proud to announce Rachel Joy as our very first ARTIST IN RESIDENCE in the newly
renovated building. The residency will commence 14 November 2011. During this time Rachel will create a
large scale steel stencil sculpture for the Courthouse ARTS courtyard as well as conducting a series of
stencil and paste up workshops.
Donna Jackson – Performance and Installation Artist
Donna has a Bachelor of Education with a major in Drama from Melbourne University. She has been an
Artistic Director for twenty years, and is a writer, performer and theatre maker. As a result of working at a
woman’s refuge Donna initiated a show for schools with West Theatre about domestic violence No Myth.In
1989 Donna became the Theatre Department coordinator at Footscray Community Arts Centre. In this
position she wrote, devised and directed seven productions, including The Bridge, a production about the
collapse of the Westgate Bridge. Donna is the Artistic Director for Illuminated by Fire and We Built This City.
She works in large scale community performance. In 2002 she established the Women’s Circus, developing
a passion for outdoor large-scale performance works in non-traditional spaces.
All attendees at the BATForce Meeting were given an Escorted tour of the Courthouse.
For more information visit the Courthouse Youth Arts website www.courthouse.org.au
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RYAC Report – Leigh Bartlett
RYAC REPORT DECEMBER 2012
Fantastic to have the meeting at the Courthouse,
I had my first ever BATForce meeting here downstairs in amongst a building site some 18 years ago.
A lot going on in the region with a number of large projects up and running.
Youth Partnerships
Youth Partnerships is a new
initiative by the Victorian
Government which will design and
test new ways for the education,
youth and family support, justice,
homelessness and mental health
sectors to work more collaboratively
to support individual young people
experiencing problems. Particular
focus on out of home care Kids.
Community Youth Strategy
To develop a community youth
strategy not a CoGG youth
strategy. An innovative way of
working involving YP from the very
beginning using tools in their
environment to capture ideas and
opportunities through their eyes.
Geelong Project
An early identification project
targeting Young People who may
be at risk of homelessness. This
project has a direct relationship with
Youth Partnerships.
DEECD
Peter
Jacobsen
CoGG
David Burke
Time 4
Youth/Swinburne
University
Mike Kelly/
David
McKenzie
All 3 projects are working on fairly tight time frames at present with support from a high level. If you wish to
feed into one of these projects in any way, I have included the contact people who can help you to do so.
Regional Update
Minister Wooldridge announced 4 million for second part of suicide prevention funding for YP who may be
same sex attracted or gender questioning.
Minister Lovell announced 80 million for the Norlane region housing project which is expected to see 160
public and 160 private dwellings created over the next few years.
Parent Education
Finished for the year with a number of youth and early years sessions completed. Feedback has been
fantastic this year and we look forward to seeing where parent ed sits within our new strategic plan in 2012.
BATForce have already been engaged to deliver parent Ed in partnership with a number of organisations in
2012 including G21, Surf Coast Shire and DEECD.
What is the future of BATForce?
As some may now know, School Focused Youth Services contract finishes in 2012; it is unclear whether or
not this government will re -fund the project. Hoping to hear some news by the end of the year. For most we
understand the value the project has brought to our region since 1998 with many sustainable projects being
funded by SFYS. In this climate when we are focusing on projects such as Geelong Project and Youth
partnerships it is good to reflect on projects such as SFYS which is often the source of funding and support
for schools in those early days when they first begin to identify students who may be vulnerable and look to
BATForce to support them to develop projects that best suit the needs of these cohorts.
BATForce strategic review
In 2012 BATForce will be reviewing their Business Plan and Strategic plan. Organisations will be asked to
feed into this process in a number of forms so please if you are asked to contribute don’t be shy. Similarly if
you not asked to contribute but wish to, just call.
Happy and Safe Christmas to you all.
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Service Access Research Project Update – Monica Butler
Monica presented results from the Service Access Research Project. Once these are available they
will be posted on the BATForce website.
GENERAL BUSINESS
An opportunity to discuss new initiatives, introduce new workers, general youth
agency news, trends in youth activities, raise issues of concern, ask questions,
raise issues for the Policy & Planning Process.
Margaret Reed – Centrecare Employment

Getting Started – Strategies to kick-start career, increasing skills and experience, Referrals,
Access Centrecare computer training

Job Search, application & interviewing skills – Understand, labour markets, employers, job
opportunities, Create resumes.

Ongoing support and encouragement – Regular meetings, confidence building, Access to
specialists, Communication & Networking, Motivation, on-going follow up and support.
Centrecare Employment will help understand the workplace and what the Employer expects. For more
information on this service contact Margaret Reed on 5246 6400.
Jayde Mulder - headspace
Headspace have launched a Youth Participation and Community Handbook, which is downloadable on the
National headspace website www.headspace.org.au
Sarah Wynn – Bellarine Community Health - Update


Review to promote Youth Connections.
Social Connections for Young People in Rural Communities.
Cass Langdon – Mentor Group Training Organisations
Mentor employs trainees and apprentices and places them into appropriate hosts in the community. Mentor
offer a holistic approach to supporting the trainee/apprentice by ensuring their hosts are conforming to all
OH&S practise, adhering to fair and equal work rights, and providing a safe and enriching working
environment. Mentor supports the trainee/apprentice through their training and visits the host’s site every 6
weeks to ensure the staff member is happy. Mentor are the legal employer so if the host relationship breaks
down, Mentor will support the trainee/apprentice into another host site.
Mentor is able to help a young person to become job ready, and support them throughout the whole process
of employment. We can also manage a School Based Apprenticeship where the student will stay at school
and take two days a week to train/work in their chosen industry. This is a really good way to ensure that the
student does not leave school too early and miss out on learning the basic skills needed. The benefit for the
young person is that they will get paid for the day that they work, so it might help entice them to complete
another year at school.
Mentor also has extra programs linked with the GTO. Currently, the Greater Geelong Youth Employment
Program is able to support vulnerable young people into employment. There is a bucket of money that will
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be attached to the young people in the program to assist them through the process of gaining
employment. 15 Young People need to be placed by mid-2012.
For more information please contact Cass Langdon at Mentor 0425 726 478 or
Cassie.Langdon@mentorhr.com.au
Jamie Jones – G.A.S.P.
GASP is a social and support service for young people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or
questioning their sexuality. Approximately 10% of young people experience feelings of same sex attraction.
While many young people questioning their sexuality have a positive experience, some can feel confused,
isolated, and experience homophobic abuse at school, at home or on the street.
GASP offers support, information, referral and social stuff for same sex attracted young people and aims to
create a community that celebrate all young people.
G.A.S.P. Postcard Competition – Enter now to win 1 of 10 iPods – Competition closes 5pm 30/12/11.
For full terms & conditions visit www.youthcan.vic.gov.au or contact gasp@geelongcity.vic.gov.au
Meeting Closed 11.30am
From the Staff & Exec at BATForce
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