Only updates, which adhere to  the Caretaker Conventions, will occur to this website until the result of the election has been determined.

The National Youth Week Poster Competition is now open – we’re looking for creative young people to design the artwork for National Youth Week 2011.

The winning design will be used on a range of National Youth Week materials like posters, postcards, community service announcements and the National Youth Week website.

Your artwork could be promoting events in every state and territory, including local events happening near you. There is also a cash prize for both the winner and runner up.

The poster competition is now open for young people aged 12-25 who are not already professional designers.

All you need to do is design a creative poster that incorporates the words ‘Own It’ – the theme for NYW 2011. Entries close 25 July 2010.

For more information see the comps page.
 

Congrats to the NYW National Talent Competition Winners

The National Youth Week team are proud to congratulate the year’s winners of the Industry and People’s Choice Awards for the National Talent Competition, across the RockIT, WriteIT, DesignIT, ShootIT and SnapIT categories. A big thanks also goes out to the Industry judges and everyone who voted in the People’s Choice Awards.

To see a full list of this years winners visit the National Talent Competition page.

We’ve also announced the Win Free stuff competition winners. We received some really creative responses this year, so thanks to everyone who entered.
 

National Youth Week in your State or Territory

South Australia

Adelaide Lived it Now !!!

Rundle Mall was rocked by performances from the Radicalites, Nothing to display, Heston Drop, Slick Arnold, Georgia Germein, Strike X and Stranger Side on Wednesday 14 April.

The bands, from the ‘Off the Couch’ program managed by Carclew Youth Arts drew a massive crowd of approximately 5,000 people, exceeding the total number of people who attended the event in 2009.

Young people received information show bags, NYW merchandise and had the opportunity to receive Beyond Blue tattoos from SA’s Youth Beyond Blue Ambassador Leesa. They also had the opportunity to complete surveys for the Australian Taxation Office, Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation and talked to staff from Office for Youth, Carclew Youth Arts, Adelaide City Council and the young people from Youth Parliament.

The day was a huge success and we would like to thank all those who were involved in the event and attended on the day.
 

Western Australia

Music talks about mental health

The Music Feedback Concert was the flagship Perth event for National Youth Week (NYW) with popular headliner, indie band British India.

The successful Western Australian (WA) NYW event saw more than 700 people attending, with performances from British India, The Novocaines, Felicity Groom and the Black Black Smoke, Moana Dreaming and Black Board Minds.

WA’s Music Feedback campaign highlights that “Music talks about mental health. So can you” and is an innovative anti-stigma campaign for mental health. The campaign includes a DVD/CD resource including interviews and music of popular bands.

Attending the NYW Music Feedback event was WA Youth Minister Donna Faragher.

“I hope that using well-known musicians will help break down the stigma surrounding mental illness and raise awareness of the youth-friendly services available” she said.

The initiative is a partnership between the WA Mental Health Commission, Youthbeyondblue, WA Department for Communities’ Office for Youth and WA Music Industry Association.

To get your DVD/CD or for more information visit MusicFeedback.Com.Au.
 

Queensland

Queensland Youth Week a huge success

National Youth Week in Queensland got off to a fantastic start with Queensland’s Minister for Community Services and Housing and Minister for Women, Karen Struthers, launching the week of fun festivities at the Redlands Youth Day Out.

Crowd-pleasing entertainment, live music, sporting activities and craft workshops saw young people start the week in a positive way, celebrating all things youth.

Diverse talents were unleashed across the state during Youth Week as young singers, dancers and actors seized their opportunity to perform at local events.

Young people as far north as Thursday Island, as far west as Cloncurry, and right down to towns on the New South Wales border showcased their talent and expressed themselves at forums, battles of the bands, sporting competitions, art exhibitions, festivals and picnics.

Fun-filled workshops on offer throughout the week, including jewellery making, clay animation, BMX bike riding, film making, skincare and makeup application, were well-attended with young people broadening their abilities and learning new skills.

Our Youth Week competition also proved popular. We received more than 170 creative entries from young people expressing their views and opinions about issues important to them, or telling us about how they choose to ‘Live it Now’.

The video clips, songs, poems, and photographs, posted to our online public gallery address issues from body image to the environment, relationships to peer pressure.

To view the exceptional entries from the Youth Week competition visit the Queensland Community Services webpage. Competition winners will be announced on the Queensland Government Youth Week website in June.

With so much fun had by all this year, we’re looking forward to next year’s Youth Week celebrations and encourage all young people to get involved!
 

Australian Capital Territory

National Youth Week 2010 saw 43 independent events held across Canberra with approximately 10,000 young people in attendance. Youth Week events were diverse in nature and organised by various youth and community organisations and young people aged 12 to 25 years. National Youth Week promoted positive images of young people highlighting their talents, skills and contributions they bring to the community through conferences, forums, youth awards, art exhibitions, live music events, sporting activities and competitions.
 

Youth InterACT Conference

The launch of Youth Week in the ACT commenced with over 200 young people attending the Annual Youth InterACT Conference held on Friday 9 April.

The Conference theme for 2010 was ‘Live it Loud’ which encouraged young people aged 12 to 25 to stand up and have their say about issues that directly impact on them. Conference participants from across the ACT focused on generating discussion on issues such as body image, the environment, living in an inclusive community, safe driving, and life transitions.

Resilience and recreational based workshops were also offered in the second half of the day which included seeing young people master stilt walking, circus skills, to basic first aid in the Save-a-Mate workshop run by the Australian Red Cross.
 

Wreck Bay Youth and Family Weekend

The Wreck Bay Youth and Family weekend was held on the 10 and 11 April and was co-ordinated by the Wreck Bay Community Council and the Department of Housing and Community Services, Youth Directorate, with funding support through Beyondblue sponsorship.

This event was a fusion of traditional indigenous cultural learning’s through the mediums of art, dance and music. The traditional cultural activities such as dance performances and a corroboree were run by the Aboriginal community from the Wreck Bay Region with youth orientated activities run by Police Citizen Youth Club, Indigenous Hip Hop Projects and Departmental staff.

Indigenous Hip Hop Projects (IHHP) is a unique team of talented artists in all elements of hip hop, media, entertainment and performing arts, who have been working extensively in Aboriginal communities around Australia since 2004.
 

Bimberi Indigenous Hip Hop Workshop

The Indigenous Hip Hop Projects (IHHP) group supported by Beyondblue attended Bimberi Youth Justice centre on 12 April 2010 to perform and hold workshops. IHHP is a unique team of talented artists in all elements of hip hop, media, entertainment and performing arts, who have been working extensively in Aboriginal communities around Australia since 2004.

Of the 21 residents in Bimberi Youth Justice Centre, 17 participated in the performance and workshops. Staff of Bimberi and the Youth Engagement and Policy team also participated with the residents. A BBQ lunch was held afterwards with all residents participating.

IHHP provided positive messages about self respect, self esteem and respecting the community they live in which is part of their workshop. The workshop culminated in the young people performing individually in the middle of a circle of which 12 people participated. Most of the residents were responsive to these messages and keen to participate.
 

National Youth Week Young Member for the ACT

The ACT would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Annie Brill, the ACT Young Member representative for National Youth Week. Annie did an outstanding job and spoke at a number of events over the course of Youth Week, including at the launch of Youth Week in front of 200 young people. Quite an achievement for a young person who was only 12 years of age when she was selected but quite rightly as she pointed out turned 13 just before Youth Week. Well done Annie.
 

Principal Partner Update

Australian Youth Forum National Youth Week Wrap Up

Thanks for the great response you gave the Australian Youth Forum (AYF) at the National Youth Week launch events. In line with our National Youth Week DesignIT theme of ‘Share Our World’, hundreds of young people shared what excited, troubled and inspired them in their world!

Right amongst the action were Australian Youth Forum Steering Committee members Sophie, Tahlia and Rick in Sydney and Nyadol, Duncan and Eva in Victor Harbor. The Steering Committee members encouraged young people to have their say, creating a massive ‘thought collage’ which was later presented to Federal Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis MP.

Among the young people present were gold medallists Stephanie Rice and Mathew Mitcham who teamed up ‘out of the pool’ as the young ambassadors for the week. Stephanie and Matt were eager to have their say in the AYF tent alongside other young people.

You can check out the ‘thought collage’ and photos of the National Youth Week launch event on the AYF website.
With ‘Share Our World’ as the brief for the DesignIT competition; the adage ‘a picture tells a Thousand words’ definitely describes the entries that we saw. There were some strong, emotive and importantly creative ideas – it will be interesting to see who you choose as your people’s choice winner.

Thank you to everyone for entering. The AYF looks forward to being involved in future celebrations of Australia’s young people.

Until then, don’t forget the AYF is your chance to let the Australian Government know what you think about different issues – go to ‘Have your Say’ on the AYF Ideas Board.
 

Taking positive mental health to the streets!

This year, beyondblue: the national depression initiative, National Youth Week (NYW) event organisers and Federal state, territory and local government’s across Australia came together to help raise awareness of depression, anxiety and related drug and alcohol problems among young people during NYW.

The partnership allowed beyondblue to work alongside young people, communities and local services to deliver over 100 activities ranging from local mental health initiatives to the national NYW launch telecast on Network Ten’s Videohits.

CEO of beyondblue, Leonie Young, says: “We are proud to be a part of Australia’s largest and most vibrant celebration of young people and their achievements for the sixth year in a row. We see NYW as a perfect time to get the message out that looking after your mental health is just as important as looking after your physical health.”

Around one in five young people in Australia experience depression. Of these, more than half don’t get the professional help they need – because they don’t have a regular GP, they’re not likely to talk to adults who aren’t family members – but they are talking to their mates.

beyondblue encourages young people to LOOK for the signs of depression and anxiety, LISTEN to what their friends are saying, TALK about what’s going on and SEEK HELP TOGETHER if needed. Information from beyondblue about depression, anxiety and related drug and alcohol problems, was distributed during NYW events across the country.

Ms Young continues: “Looking after yourself and your mates is important. If you’re concerned about a friend who may be going through a tough time, talk to the person and offer to go with them to get help. Depression and anxiety in are common, but they are treatable and with the right treatment, most people recover.”

Youthbeyondblue aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety and associated drug and alcohol problems among young people – and where to get help. To find out more about depression and anxiety go to the Youthbeyondblue website or call the information line on 1300 22 4636 (local call cost from a landline).
 

Make your night out one to remember! Congratulations to our RockIt winners!

The standard of entries for the Don’t turn a night out into a nightmare themed RockIt category of the National Talent Competition were super impressive and choosing five finalists from each age category was an extremely tough task.

The most outstanding entrants selected by Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines were WhelleR (junior category) and Molly Contogeorge (senior category).

Molly’s entry, ‘Lead on Lead’, highlights that fun shouldn’t rely on drinking. It deals with the themes of friendship and how the choices you make can affect whether your night out is one to remember or one you would rather forget.

Queensland group WheeleR took a different interpretation on the theme with their entry ‘ASAP’. The song talks about young people reaching out to each other and discussing their problems rather than hiding from them. Many young people may look to alcohol to help them get away from their problems, which can lead to dangerous situations.

WheeleR also took out the People’s Choice award in the junior category, while the People’s Choice winner in the senior category was NSW group Road to Canaan. The group said that their entry ‘The Colour of Truth’ is about life and what matters most.

The interpretation of the category theme varied across all of entries received, however the common thread was the idea that anything is possible and youth should be celebrated, not wasted by getting wasted. We would like to congratulate all our finalists and thank all of the talented young Australian musicians who entered the competition.

Remember, rock on, but be smart and Don’t turn a night out into a nightmare.

For further information on the Don’t turn a night out into a nightmare campaign and to play the interactive game, please visit the Don’t turn a night out into a nightmare website.
 

Headspace

headspace is a proud partner of Men’s Health Week (14 – 20 June 2010). Men’s Health Week promotes awareness for men’s health issues and celebrates the contribution men make at work, home and in the community.

Did you know depression, anxiety and drug and alcohol use are the most pressing issues faced by young men, with men more than twice as likely as women to have drug and alcohol problems? Despite this, young men are less likely than young women to seek help from friends, family or a service such as headspace.

headspace is using Men’s Health week to remind young men that there is someone else to talk to. headspace has 30 centres in both regional and metropolitan Australia that offer health advice, support and information for young people. headspace.org.au also offers online health information, advice and support for young people seeking information about youth mental health and wellbeing.

headspace will holding events throughout Men’s Health Week, including a football clinic with the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville and an event with Western Bulldogs Coach Rodney Eade in Melbourne. Also keep an eye for headspace’s Men’s Health Week spokesperson Dylan Lewis who’ll providing a timely reminder to look after you headspace in television ads running throughout the week.

Check out our website for more information about headspace activities and events throughout Men’s Health Week.
 

Partner Update

Carers Australia announces winners of the Young Carers Online Competition

Carers Australia would like to congratulate the six winners of the Young Carers Online Competition. Held as part of National Youth Week celebrations, the Young Carers Online Competition asked young carers from across Australia to answer the question, “If you had 5 minutes with a politician, what would you tell them about the needs of young carers?”

Carers Australia received a large number of very impressive entries to the competition, outlining how government can better assist young carers.

The CEO of Carers Australia, Joan Hughes said “On behalf of all young carers who shared their ideas and experiences in this competition, I have a message for the government. Young carers need increased respite services; more counselling and peer support services; greater support with education and with paid work; better quality health services; and there needs to be increased community awareness of young carers.”

“In the words of our competition winners, young carers are important because they are our future. Politicians need to recognise how young carers contribute to their families and our community, and support young carers to have the same opportunities in life as other young people” Ms Hughes said.

Carers Australia will continue to lobby on behalf of young carers and represent their interests to government.

A young carer is a young person under the age of 26 who helps care for a family member with a disability, mental illness, chronic health condition, are frail aged, or who have an alcohol or other drug problem. Support is available to young carers through the Young Carers Program – further information is available by phoning 1800 242 636 or go to CarersAustralia.Com.Au.
 

The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation

The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AER) were delighted to be an official Partner of National Youth Week (NYW) 2010. The young people, ambassadors, ministers, sponsors and media partners around Australia helped make the week a huge success. We enjoyed meeting young Australians and hearing what they had to say about alcohol and other drug issues, and were proud to be a part of the regional launch in Victor Harbor, SA.

The evidence of AER’s success in working with youth lies in the hundreds of projects and campaigns AER has supported in both regional and metropolitan areas around the country, including NYW 2010. AER values the feedback we have received since the NYW launch from young people and the community.

AER is currently developing a youth network to guide and inform our work. If you are a passionate young person who would like to get involved in projects to make our Australian communities healthier and safer, we would love to hear from you! Please shoot off an email to Jac Torres Gomez, out Youth Project Officer at jacinta.torresgomez@aerf.com.au.

AER looks forward to being a part of NYW in 2011 and we encourage all young people to get involved. Live it Now!
 

Be Prepared… for new adventure!

Congratulations to the Venturer Scouts who were named as finalists in the National Youth Week Talent Competition! Ash Marks was a finalist in the Junior WriteIt category, while Lochlan Broughton and his friend Kai Mann-Robertson were finalists in the Junior ShootIt category. Good work Ash and Lochlan – you have 66,000 Aussie Scouts cheering for you!

As the NYW 2010 celebrations wind down, we hope that young people around Australia continue to think about this year’s NYW message and find ways to ‘Live It Now’. If you’re looking for challenge and adventure, why not join Scouts in your local area?

When we say ‘adventure’, we’re not just talking about the awesome range of outdoor activities that Scouts offers! In fact, ‘adventure’ can mean any exciting, novel or unusual experience, and Scouts offers such a huge range of opportunities that there’s always something new to try. And you can join at any age from 6 upwards!

Scouts are separated into age-based Sections – Joey Scouts (6-8), Cub Scouts (7.5-11), Scouts (10.5-15), Venturer Scouts (14.5-18) and Rovers (17.5-25), with each Section taking more responsibility for their own activities as they progress. All Sections share a steady diet of self-respect, confidence, leadership, teamwork, creativity, environmental awareness and community involvement, and there are plenty of events and activities in which everyone can get involved together.

Scouts Australia couldn’t provide such amazing experiences for young people without a huge group of dedicated and enthusiastic adult volunteers. If you’re aged 18 or over, why not contact your local Group and find out how you can rediscover adventure too? It doesn’t matter if you’ve never been a Scout… we’ll teach you everything you need to know!

Visit our website: Scouts.Com.Au
Freecall: 1800 SCOUTS
Find us on Facebook: Facebook.Com/ScoutsAustralia

The winners were chosen from hundreds of entries received across the five National Talent Competition categories – RockIT (music), DesignIT (graphic design), WriteIT (short stories), ShootIT (film) and SnapIT (photography).

There was a high standard of entries this year and our renowned judges had a very difficult task in choosing the overall Industry Award winners. The Peoples Choice Award winners were decided by you and this year we received over 7000 votes!

For 2010, the Industry Awards were judged by international bestselling novelist, Tara Moss; legendary Australian performer, Marcia Hines; graphic design heavyweights, Andrew Hoyne and Trevor Flett; renowned Australian filmmaker, Genevieve Clay; and landscape photographer, Ken Duncan.

To see the full list of talented winners for both the Industry Award and the People’s Choice Award, visit the National Talent Competition page.

The winners of the Win Free Stuff Competition are also available.

The National Youth Week Poster Competition is now open so if you think you’ve got what it takes to design the artwork to promote NYW 2011 across Australia and would love a cash prize for your efforts, then see NYW Poster Competition for more info!

The NYW Poster Competition is now open.  Find out how to enter for your chance to get national attention for your design as well as win a cash prize!

All you need to do is design a creative poster that incorporates the words ‘Own It’ – the theme for NYW 2011.  Your poster should reflect the fun, celebratory nature of NYW. 

Be quick – entries close 11.59pm AEST on Sunday 25 July.

Find out all the details.

We received over 7000 votes across the National Talent Competition categories.  Stay tuned to find out which entries have been awarded the Industry Award, the People’s Choice Award and the People’s Choice Runner Up prize for 2010!  Details coming soon!

In the morning you can see that he is frustrated and agitated. As the day goes on you can see he starts to relax and sort through his thoughts. He partakes in activities that are perfect for clear your mind, such as skating and walking the dog, or even going for a drive.

I finished the film off with the young man watching a sunset. I feel that this shows the inner piece that the young man has now found.