Youth Research Qualitative Report - District Council of Mount Barker

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was still a strong desire among them to be engaged in activities in the local area (including work, education and recreation). There was a universal desire among participants to feel proud of their community. Young people from all focus groups were aware of Mt Barker having a ‘bogan’ reputation outside the area. They attribute this reputation to two things: uninteresting development that focuses too heavily on ‘home maker centres’ and not enough on amenity that will attract locals and outsiders to the area; and the visibility of groups of disengaged young people hanging around local take away shops. I was in town the other day and I was talking to someone at a bus stop and they were saying, ‘where are you headed’ and I said ‘Mount Barker’ and they had this whole conversation about how they just completely felt Mount Barker was bogan and talking about all the crime, and I was saying it’s not really like that. Because my boyfriend goes to TAFE down at Regency and all his mates are paying him out for living in Mount Barker because they’ve heard about how bogan it is and stuff but when you live here, it’s actually not as bad as everyone says it is. (Young woman, 16yrs) Many young people in this study live in well resourced homes and feel they often can’t be bothered coming into Mt Barker due to congestion and a lack of interesting things to see or do. The result is a community with a public absence of young people. The exception is a minority of disadvantaged and disengaged young people who hang around outside various fast food outlets. These young people are not able to rely on resources in the home and due to a lack of appropriate resources in the community are seen as a problem. Many young people participating in these focus groups did not know how to find out about what goes on in the local area. A lot of things aren’t very publicised, to be honest. I don’t hear about a lot of things. They valued the opportunity to be informed and included and they also valued the opportunity to be consulted and ‘have a say’. However some were aware of similar studies being conducted in the past and complained of a lack of action in response to their concerns. There was a sense that they did not trust council to act on their behalf and were not sure of the value of being consulted. Participants wanted to continue having a say. The idea of a local internet site with information, feedback opportunities, job vacancies etc was well received by all groups, though it would have to be well advertised and very well maintained to gain word of mouth recommendation. Other suggestions included surveys, newsletter, regular peer group consultations (focus groups with groups of friends) and suggestion boxes at schools. 35 Needs assessment of young people in the Mt Barker Council District – November 2009
I think they should give out surveys to the community, post them. (Young man, 15 yrs) There should be a monthly newsletter of like new ideas, like the whole of the Adelaide Hills coming together, like this big newsletter. (Young woman, 16 yrs) I think through schools, they could let people know if you’ve got any ideas. (Young woman 15 yrs) We’ve got a student notice board which could be used – local business I think should be like we’ve got a job going. Alright, put it out to the school, we want someone like this. (Young woman, 17 yrs) What young people value Events that serve the whole community such as the ‘Big Lounge’ and Christmas carols in Keith Stephenson park What young people said they want and need To be acknowledged and respected by adults in the community Visibility and a voice in the community Youth liaison person to facilitate young people’s voice in the local community An easy way to find out what is on, what is happening, what is available in the local community They want youth events to be occasions to celebrate the talents and lives of local young people rather than forums to “preach” to young people. They want the opportunity to challenge local prejudices about young people and share their interests and stories in a way that they choose (through graffiti art, music, performance etc) Defined space at the library – that welcomes them, acknowledges their developmental needs and behaviour and caters to their interests. 4.12 Living in the Mt Barker Council District In every focus group young people stated that they wanted to feel proud of the place they lived. They wanted Mt Barker and its surrounds to look attractive and to maximise its rural assets. Some however, did not feel proud and tried to avoid spending too much time here. I don’t hang in Mount Barker. Why not Personally I think it’s very bogan and because there’s just always road works and I don’t think it’s the prettiest place to be. (Young woman, 16 yrs) However, most of these participants loved living in a semi-rural area. I like the country feel, there’s not heaps of traffic and there’s hardly any people up here – you can do your own thing. (Young man, 14 yrs) 36 Needs assessment of young people in the Mt Barker Council District – November 2009
Page 2 and 3: Project Report Young People Living
Page 4 and 5: Contents About the Author .........
Page 6 and 7: access to friends, sport, recreatio
Page 8 and 9: Encourage more retail that appeals
Page 10 and 11: 3. Desk top study of current servic
Page 12 and 13: 3.6 Limitations This study recruite
Page 14 and 15: I used to have drug problems and th
Page 16 and 17: young people living in the region d
Page 18 and 19: The majority of work available to y
Page 20 and 21: off my face and not realise. I slep
Page 22 and 23: a shortage of human resources requi
Page 24 and 25: comfortable or welcoming homes to w
Page 26 and 27: catch the 9:28 bus and sit there fo
Page 28 and 29: Male Yeah but that's already happen
Page 30 and 31: Centre, these amenities are not rea
Page 32 and 33: More entertainment as part of the c
Page 34 and 35: The Big lounge is cool. They play r
Page 38 and 39: These were also the sentiments of y
Page 40 and 41: Other reasons for not choosing to l
Page 42 and 43: I am aware that there are 13-14 yea
Page 44 and 45: 6. Project conclusions and interim
Page 46 and 47: Avoid housing young people outside
Page 48 and 49: Facilitate the integration of activ

Youth Research Qualitative Report - District Council of Mount Barker

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