Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentoring Program Evaluation

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Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentoring Program Evaluation therefore they need information from families to assist young people in the program. The program also facilitates the family reconnecting with where they come from, as links may have been lost or broken. This family-inclusive approach fits with culturally appropriate practice, as well as systemic approaches to family work, 27 where change depends on having an understanding of the wider family context in line with an extended concept of families in Aboriginal cultures. It also helps develop respect lines back to elders, which these young people may have lost due to experiencing the harsh edge of the legacy and effects of colonisation and racism. In many ways, this offers a third layer of mentoring within the program, where the Coordinator is a mentor for family members. The Coordinator assists them in developing different ways to relate to and support their young person, and to manage other issues in their lives that drain their energy and negatively impact on their social and emotional wellbeing. Family members are contacted regularly by phone, home visits occur and they are encouraged to initiate contact with the program. They are also invited to take part in programs, such as the art program. Young people are usually aware that their family members are involved. Interagency work Panyappi has focused its efforts on target geographical areas. They needed to build effective collaborations with local key stakeholders, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous agencies and groups, in order to collectively address the problems Indigenous young people are experiencing and the issues this raises for the local community. These collaborations were illustrated in Figure 4. A specific area of focus is education. For many Indigenous young people education has not been a positive and beneficial experience, as racism plays a factor in the curriculum generally, as well as their treatment at school level. 28,29,30 This also influences how the school relates to and communicates with their parents and family members – they often feel disconnected or disregarded by schools until it is “too late.” 31 Early school leaving rates for young people are highest for Indigenous young people, especially Indigenous young males who also have a higher rate of offending behaviour compared to the overall population: “in almost all available data on Indigenous education, young Indigenous males have the worst retention and participation rates….a decrease in participation in 30 education correlates with an increase in juvenile crime among Indigenous males.” 27 Nichols, M. & Schwartz, R. (Eds.) (1998). Family therapy concepts and methods (4 th ed). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 28 Social Inclusion Unit (2003). School Retention Reference: How can we better support young people stay at school and successfull y complete 12 years of education? Getting there together. Social Inclusion Unit, South Australian Department of Premier and Cabinet: Adelaide. Available online at: http://www.socialinclusion.sa.gov.au/page.asp?ContainerID=3&SubPageID=50, pp.19-20, 24-26, 31, 45. 29 Stacey, K. (2003), op cit, p.3. 30 Teese, R., Polesel, J., O’Brien, K., Jones, B., Davies, M., Walstab, A. & Maughan, M. (2000). Early school leaving: A review of the literature. Brisbane: Australian National Training Authority. (Quote from p.5). 31 Stacey, K. (2003), op cit, p.17. - 24 -
ATSIC recently reported: Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentoring Program Evaluation Most indicators of poverty and related disadvantage show that Indigenous people are between two and three times worse off than non-Indigenous people in Australia….the proportion of Indigenous teenagers (15-19 years) not fully engaged in work or education is three times that of non-Indigenous people. 32 Many of Panyappi’s clients have difficult relationships with school, so there is considerable effort to do interagency work with schools. This contributes to other state initiatives to improve Indigenous young people’s connection or reconnection to schooling. Although the role of mentors is not to be an Aboriginal Education Worker, they enable young people to engage with or complete schoolwork, or to re-engage with schooling. Panyappi looks for opportunities to create a positive link between the young person and a school staff member as a way of embedding mentoring as a regular experience at school, which can be sustained beyond the young person’s connection to Panyappi. By helping young people’s reconnect and have a more positive and beneficial experience, it is possible for young people to take advantage of transition programs into education, training and employment that are usually targeted at the 15 and over age group. 32 Dusseldorp Skills Forum (2003), op cit, p.35. - 25 -
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Page 3 and 4: © Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentor
Page 5 and 6: Beginning the Story… Panyappi Ind
Page 7 and 8: Executive Summary What is Panyappi?
Page 17 and 18: Program funding Panyappi Indigenous
Page 21 and 22: JUSTICE Strong support from the Cri
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Page 37 and 38: Evaluation questions Panyappi Indig
Page 71 and 72: Support for mentors Panyappi Indige
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Recommendations Panyappi Indigenous
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Outcome Formative or process Append
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