Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentoring Program Evaluation

Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentoring Program Evaluation
realised they could succeed in other areas and had other options they could take, apart
from offending. At the same time, program collaborators and Panyappi staff reported
and expected there would be hiccoughs and thought it was unreasonable to expect that
young people would turn a corner and never look back within a few months. There was
strong support for ensuring investment in a long-term support program, like Panyappi,
that would stay with young people through the ups and downs involved in getting back
and staying on track.
Decreased contact with the juvenile justice system
Anecdotal reports, corroborated from one or more sources, indicated that Panyappi
clients decreased their contact with the juvenile justice system in terms of their level
of and frequency of offending. This was confirmed through system data with substantial
decreases in formal cautions, orders, family conferences, convictions and detentions,
especially when young people had been involved for 6 or more months. Due to a previous
history of offending it was common that they were still involved in court appearances or
orders. Panyappi supported them through and, wherever possible, beyond this period.
Whether this decreased contact is maintained will depend on the capacity to track these
young people’s progress over a longer period of time, which will require ongoing program
and evaluation funding. It is not possible to identify this from the existing data and
many of the young people who have received consistent service in the last year have only
recently left the program or still require further support.
Development of self-discovery and self-determination by the young person and
family
There were consistent reports from a range of stakeholders that young people
developed in their self-belief, and personal and cultural identity during their involvement
with Panyappi. Many young people re-engaged with education, whether through schooling
or VET options, started to develop other interests and friendships, and were developing
better relationships with their families.
Family members agreed to be involved with other support agencies to address personal
or family issues, started to improve their skills in responding constructively to their
young people, and became more convinced that their young person was making substantial
changes. They reported experiencing a decrease in stress over time, although they still
had some worries about whether there would be continuing progress, particularly if the
Panyappi program was not available.
Due to the initial disruptions in establishing a stable program, most young people have
only had mentoring for a few months (since April 2003 or later), so the work was not
seen as a “complete” process. Young people were hopeful that support would continue for
some time. Family members, mentors and program collaborators believed that if young
people were going to maintain belief in their ability to cope, stay motivated and achieve
their goals, it would depend on further support from Panyappi at a similar or reduced
intensity for a further period of time (i.e. at least 6-12 months). If this occurred, they
were more confident that young people would become self-determining.
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