Critique Of Federal Government Youth Policy In Australia Essay.

Our Youth-Our Future

Critique a Particular State or Federal Government Youth Policy.

This report has been designed to provide a better understanding of youth policy in Australia. A critical evaluation of the Federal government of Australia has been made regarding designing of youth policy. Adolescence is an imperative life period in human maturity. It includes a wide age range, with young people developing as children and moving through youth on their way to become free adults. It is a important period of development—physically, psychologically, mentally and socially. The report articulates the connection between government policy and a just society for youngsters. Also, the policy suggesting principles that should underpin government adolescence guidelines have been identified and analyzed.

According to 2010 National Strategy for Young Australians, youths are those people who fall under the age group 12-24 years. For certain measurements, Youth has been divided into categories. For instance, the economic productivity of youth is considered in two groups which are, 15-19, and 20-24 years (Scarino, 2014). In this view, the Western government of Australia has made a commitment to the youth, named ‘Our Youth-Our Future.’ This framework has been designed to direct youth programs and service planning in an integrated manner into the future.

'Our Youth—Our Future' covers all the prevailing strategic approaches to provide services and programs to all the young people of the society. This framework attempts to create opportunities for youngsters and provide support in attaining their goals by developing their potential (Woodman, and Wyn, 2013). Moreover, it commits to recognize and value al the youth having diverse needs and ambitions. The youths are respected, who face tough challenges and undergone complex experiences to make their dream into reality.

The Australian government designed a National Volunteering Strategy for marking the tenth anniversary of the United Nations International Years of Volunteers. This government policy articulated the commitment made by the government in promoting wider involvement of youngsters in achieving the benefits for the individuals, local communities, and for the entire country (McGorry et al., 2013). An extensive effort was followed for developing a federal policy in Australia for the effective growth and development of the youth. However, over the past one year, the landscape of the nation’s federal policy has undergone through various changes due to the reallocation of subsides from the institutions, which openly or circuitously support youth volunteering.

The goal of the youth policies and programs implemented by the Australian federal government is to make youngsters able to participate and volunteering in social life. This has been witnessed by the major growth in the number of youngsters, social agencies, and schools in the program from 2004 to 2007.  This improvement in the involvement of youths in schools and educational corridors has led to the advanced and a just society (Osborne et al., 2017). The youth policies also aim to promote the skills and abilities of youths through learning activities which are not only enjoyable, and age-appropriate, but also challenging. The federal government of Australia wants to create a strong and valuable relationship among the youngsters, adults, and the whole society by making them working together and contribute in making a just society. In this view, community recognition has been noticed; a supportive and responsive team has been developed, and has celebrated the success of the policies and programs.

Link between government policy and a just society for young people in Australia

Moreover, youth policies have resulted in numerous surprising changes in the youths of the country. These changes include enhanced confidence level, skills to handle problems connected with disability, increased understanding of diversity, improved leadership ability to accept new challenges (Phillips et al., 2016). However, the social entities, and other kinds of social improvement are unable to describe the different ways in which the youngsters of Australia do volunteering. Also, a number of youths are not familiar with the term ‘volunteer’, but according to the researchers, if these youths are asked, they will definitely participate in volunteering activities. They are also likely to develop a more optimistic perception regarding volunteering. It is driven by the ‘top-down’ approach influenced by the policies at the level of institutions such as schools. Although there are several arguments over the benefits and effects of directive services like service learning but it does not seems to be a powerful strategy for making youngsters to familiar with volunteering (Denny, and Churchill, 2016). The National Youth Strategy of Australia aims to have a happy, healthy, and safe youth and to generate equal opportunities and skills to make them learn, work, grow, and involve in social life and decisions that directly or indirectly affect them.

Another commitment made by the federal government of Australia, along with the state and territory government, is the Compact with Youth Australians 2009. This aimed to educate and train youths under age twenty five. The prior condition for getting government benefits such as Youth Allowance or the Family Tax Benefit, the policy attempts to increase the qualification level of the individuals and retention rates through initiatives like National Youth Participation Requirement.

In Australia, there is an effective body of frameworks involving social and political practices in making youngsters to participate in volunteering. Although there are a number of examples of volunteering structures which are diverse and typical. However, there is a lack of evidence informing about the best practice among all. On the basis of available evidences, four elements can be observed (Haynes, 2016). These are youth willingness of organizations which work among youth volunteers, the requirement for methods to be appropriate to context and socially complete the requirement for methods to generate useful opportunities for the youngsters, and to build effective measurements of success. According to the latest Australian report, voluntary institutes are required to be flexible in their expectations from youngsters. Since today’s modern youths are bounded by many other commitments also, therefore they should be made to recognize positively the value of their contributions.

Also, the interests and encouragements of youngsters have also been identified by the report via voluntary institution. The organizations are urged to utilize youngsters’ networks to reach them effectively. These networks commonly include online platforms and high education providers. In this regard, the most effective way to motivate more youths to volunteer, youth ambassador program has been launched (Allison et al., 2016). In order to obtain meaningful contributions, the aspirations of the youngsters are aligned with the needs of the institutions. In order to fulfill this purpose, the organizations are called by the government for monitoring the youth’s satisfaction level, and encourage their belonging by giving them title except ‘volunteer’. The title should provide a sense of ownership and ability to communicate with the institution in official as well as casual manner, such as board or social membership (Dean, 2016).

Social and political theory and value framework that underpin or drive a current government policy

The Commonwealth Secretariat launched national Commonwealth frameworks in Australia, in order to make the youths socially, politically, and economic powerful. Secretariat work included advocating for investment in youth ministries and programs. It also provided technical support for the development of policies and allowing atmospheres for the youngsters (Hall et al., 2016). Moreover, it promoted and shared directions and means for youth advancement and growth by introducing the first Youth Development Index in the world. Sri Lanka and Pakistan contributed additional budgetary resources under this new strategy for the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC). While India and England funded for the Sport for Development and Peace mandate, Australia contributed funds for the implementation of youth projects.

Moreover, Commonwealth Secretariat introduced the first global Youth Development Index (YDI), in 2013. It was helpful in tracking the level of development in youngsters throughout 170 nations. However, an expansion plan is still in progress, which will cover development of a methodology and toolkit to assist member governments for creating on the international YDI and to create national and sub-national level YDIs (Cumming, and Goldstein, 2016). The Secretariat and UN agencies became partners in June, 2014 and held a meeting with international experts on indicating youngsters and monitoring their Sustainable Development Goals.

Considering that, the Commonwealth Secretariat collaborated with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and organized a technical workshop for social policy and development. It was made on the evidence-based policies for Youth Development in Sub-Saharan Africa in Nairobi, and Kenya (Evers et al., 2013). The main aim of this workshop was to improve the capacity of the participants from government ministries, public institutions, and civil society by designing and executing evidence-based policies on youngsters using quantitative methods. In February, 2015, Africa Region Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting was called by the Secretariat, to urge senior officials and youngsters to work together for fulfilling their commitments and establish an atmosphere to allow youths to recognize and enhance their social, economic and political potential.

The best policy suggesting principles in Australia state that any decision regarding youth policy should take into account the safety of youngsters from any sort of physic al or mental harm. The rights of the youngsters should also be protected and promoted for an effective youth development (Vromen et al., 2016). For this purpose, improvement in family relations should also be considered to provide greatest possible support to the family also, and in respect to Aboriginal child for motivating and safeguarding the cultural and spiritual existence and value and their value in the society. In this context, the government should also consider ethical codes of conducts while making youth policies across Australia (Wright, and McLeod, 2015). There are basically fourteen major principles that should drive or underpin the policy. These are as follows:

• Primary Client / Consideration
• Social Context / biological and Structural Influences
• Fairness, Non-Discrimination & Anti-Oppressive Practice
• Self-Awareness
• Empowerment
• Duty of Care
• Precision
• Anti-Corruption
• Collaboration
• Limitations
• Information
• Self-Care
• Privacy
• Professional Awareness / Integrity

These principles serve internationally as a strong indication of the common link that runs around the values and ethics foundation of Youth Work practice in Australia, and also throughout the globe. The Australian government should rely on the advisory committee structures, and traditional approaches should be utilized by well resourced youngsters who are the country’s future leaders within their societies. The procedure should cover all the highest achieving youngsters (Burns, and Birrell, 2014). Also, the federal government is required to identify relevant and expertise form of involvement for engaging refugees and migrant youths. The researchers also critique the prevalence of the youth development approach in the current youth participation programs with different youngsters. The aboriginal youngsters are at the verge of risk as they are treated very poorly in the country (Farrugia, 2014). The federal government should make policy to treat them equally and make agency over decision-making in their own lives.

Moreover, Australia has a number of young people who belong from different backgrounds. The youth policy should target them and their participation type principles should drive participation strategies with other youngsters. The youth policy made by considering welfare of refugee and disadvantaged young people make them more empowered and independent (Hildebrand et al 2013). The youth development approach is different from the youth involvement approach as the former focuses more on prerequisite principles of equality and justice which ultimately becomes the basis for the effective youth development in the country.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it can be concluded that in Australia, investing in youth is necessary to train Australia and its youth for the challenges of the future. Providing young Australians with the support they need to succeed is part of governing in the long-term national interest. The youth policies and strategies are a vital part of providing a youth viewpoint on the Government’s broader program for building a stronger, just and healthier Australia. When it comes to participation, the youngsters should be cleared that their need lies in the school and work, not in politics. The government should develop a healthy youth policy to get engaged with young leaders of the future.

References

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