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The author comments on the ways in which we insist on categorising young people, defining them variously as delinquent or maladjusted, or to invent new categories like 'the sulker', 'the mirror addict', 'the worry wart', the 'drug dabbler' and the 'sexplorer'. She argues such approaches provide the bases for typologies that cause considerable damage to our capacities for relating to and understanding young people. The apparent 'need' we seem to have to exoticise 'youth' in many instances gives certain aspects of their behaviours deviant status thereby inhibiting our capacity to relate to young people.
Funder, K. Families, young people and the
risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
This article briefly reports on a collaborative research project being carried out at the La Trobe Centre for the Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Melbourne. The goal of the study is to identify family factors associated with the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS among young people.
Hartley, R. Youth today: some of the
issues.
This edition of Family Matters gathers together articles concerning young people in Australia. The author of this article reports on some of the topics that are canvassed. Issues addressed include: concepts of youth and adolescence, how the identities of a particular group of non English speaking background immigrant youth were constructed, stereotypes about Aboriginal young people, income support for young people, determinants of young people's participation in education and training, young people's access to services in the outer urban fringe areas of Australian cities, and resolving family problems.
Hartley, R; Wolcott, I. Young people and
families.
Young people often do not figure prominently in general policy discussions about families. 'The lack of emphasis on older offspring is partly due to contradictions in the way they are viewed and uncertainty surrounding their dependence, independence and interdependence in relation to families. At base is the question of where to draw the lines between regarding young people as members of families (and therefore directing resources to them through families) and regarding them as individuals who have access to resources in their own right'. This article reports on Australian Institute of Family Studies research undertaken for the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme on the position of young people in relation to the family. The article reviews recent trends which impinge on young people's lives, summarises the recent history of commonwealth and state government youth policies and strategies, and examines expectations about young people and their shifts to adult rights and responsibilities.
King, A. Young people and new income
support measures.
From the beginning of 1995, young people under 18 years of age will no longer be eligible for Job Search Allowance, the principal income support payment for the unemployed. Of the proposals affecting youth in the Federal Government's May 1994 White Paper 'Working Nation', this is perhaps the most striking aspect. There is, however, much more to this major policy statement. For a start, young people looking for work are not going to be deprived of income support. The White Paper included announcement of a number of changes to the level and nature of the assistance that will be available. The main purpose here is to describe the policy measures in the White Paper as they affect young people and also, in conclusion, to make some assessment of their overall significance for this group, in terms of labour market prospects and their meaning for young people's transitions to independence. Issues addressed include labour market assistance, closer integration of general and vocational education, expanding entry level training places, Youth Training Initiative, Youth Training Allowance, rates of payment, means testing, and rent assistance.
McDonald, P; Brownlee, H; Greenblat, E.
Education and training for young people: determinants of
participation.
The Commonwealth government aims to have all young people under the age of 20 years receiving some form of education or training. In this context, it is important to consider the circumstances of those young people who presently fall short of this aim so that consideration can be given to policies which may address their needs. This paper examines the education and training experiences of young people aged 15-19 years living in Melbourne - in particular, the relationship between parental circumstances (in terms of perceived employment, locational or education advantage or disadvantage) and youth education and training outcomes. the report provides both statistical and case study approaches. The data relate to 755 young people aged 15-19 years in 1991-92, who were included in the Australian Living Standards Study (ALSS) in four areas of Melbourne: two outer-suburban areas (Berwick and Werribee), one middle-distance area (Box Hill) and the then inner-city local government area of Melbourne. The sample includes young people aged 15-19 years living away from home.
The author is the new director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, formerly in charge of the Thomas Coram Research Unit at the University of London's Institute of Education. He compares the work of the two organisations and points out that they are both involved in research on factors which influence family stability and well being. He then identifies the family policy issues confronting Australia and the United Kingdom.
Palmer, D; Collard, L. Aboriginal young
people and youth subcultures.
The author draws out some of the contradictions and limitations in uncritically applying Anglo-centric theoretical frameworks to the study of the cultural experiences of Aboriginal young people. It is the authors' view that much of the inquiry that occurs in the broad arena of youth subcultures ignores the involvement of Aboriginal young people in a range of spheres, domains and activities. They contend that, in the main, academic work in Australia largely mirrors popular ideas about Aboriginal young people. Either Aboriginal young people are invisible in research and discussions concerned with youth subcultures or, where they are considered, there is generally an over-reliance on problematic assumptions about what Aboriginal young people do and do not involve themselves in. This paper draws on the preliminary findings of an ethnographic study investigating how Nyungar young people living in a southern metropolitan region of Perth articulate their everyday experiences of the nexus between substance use and the police. Their accounts challenge many of the underlying assumptions which inform past and current work on youth subcultures. Many of their comments challenge popularly held views about Aboriginal young people's attitudes, behaviour, style, and 'leisure' and spare time pursuits.
Sharman, L. International Year of the
Family: around the States and Territories.
This article presents a roundup of some of the various themes and programs that have unfolded nationally and at the state level for International Year of the Family. Information is provided on opportunities for community consultation, community education programs, awards, media awards, grants, conferences, activities and publications.
Vasta, E. Youth and ethnicity: the second
generation.
In analysing the position of young migrant people in Australian society, we come across familiar terms which defy fixed categorisation - terms such as 'ethnic', 'non-English-speaking background' and 'second generation' youth. This article looks at problems of definition, with particular focus on the way the identities of young people from non-English-speaking backgrounds were constructed during the period of assimilation and later under multiculturalism. The article includes an analysis of models used to explain the construction of youth ethnic identities, in particular the notion of cultural conflict and its role in the construction. The author focuses mainly on the Italian experience.
Winter,I. Young people living on the urban
fringe: is it a tale of two cities?
Whilst the advantages of home ownership have long been celebrated by Australian families, are we really 'doing the best for our kids by raising them in outer-urban living environments? This article examines the access of 12-19 year olds living on the urban fringes of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide in 1991-92 to education, employment, entertainment and leisure, and compares their situation with that of their inner-city counterparts. Data is drawn from the Australian Living Standards Study conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The analysis for the article is based on 12-19 year olds living in Berwick and Werribee in Victoria, Campbelltown and Penrith in New South Wales and Elizabeth/Munno Parra in South Australia as outer-urban areas, in comparison with 12-19 year olds living in the cities of Melbourne and South Sydney, as inner-urban areas. The author found key differences in the experiences of urban fringe and inner-city young people in relation to post-secondary education and entertainment but not secondary education or employment.
Wolcott, I; Weston, R. Harmony in the home:
resolving conflict between parents and adolescents.
Interventions such as mediation and family therapy are thought to assist family members to renegotiate roles and rules, explore values and expectations and enhance communication and conflict resolution skills that will foster independence, promote self-esteem and maintain family connections. This article presents some of the results of an evaluation conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies in 1991 of eleven Parent-Adolescent Mediation and Family Therapy Programs funded by the Attorney-General's Department. The impact of these services on the resolution of family conflict are discussed, and the life circumstances of young people that affect youth homelessness examined.
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