Empowering Young People, Strengthening Communities
BUSY Youth and Community Services is dedicated to empowering young people and enriching communities across Australia. We offer comprehensive support aimed at breaking down barriers to education and employment, so every young person has the opportunity to thrive.
Our approach is centred on identifying and addressing potential barriers to completing or engaging with education, stable employment, and overall well-being.
These include challenges like housing instability, difficulties with school retention, complex family relationships, alcohol and drug use and youth justice issues.
By intervening early and tackling obstacles head-on, we can empower young people, foster resilience and prepare them for future education or employment opportunities.
Our proactive approach not only enhances the lives of individuals, it plays a crucial role in improving long-term youth unemployment rates and strengthening community bonds.
BUSY Step Up Program, Townsville
Reducing youth violence and recidivism
BUSY Step Up is a curriculum-based intervention where young people involved with or at risk of entering the juvenile justice system learn and practice non-violent, respectful ways of communicating and resolving conflict.
The program also works with parents to deliver a model of respectful parenting that balances leadership and positive support, promoting non-violence in the family and the community.
Our BUSY Youth Framework
A comprehensive BUSY Youth framework supports the key dimensions in the development of young people and will assist them to successfully transition to adulthood.
By integrating and delivering the BUSY Youth Framework, we create environments where young people can flourish and contribute positively to their communities.
ENGAGED IN EDUCATION
- Intervention programs that work on a local level through partnerships with schools and other service providers.
- Programs promoting school attendance, academic success, and career readiness.
- Support services for students disengaged or at risk of disengagement with education, providing solutions to their barriers.
POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS
- Family support services to strengthen parent-child relationships, address challenges and prevent youth homelessness.
- Family reunification programs to assist with stabilising family relationships.
HOUSING SOLUTIONS
- Affordable and supported housing options tailored to the needs of young people who are employed or studying.
- Supported transitional housing options for young people.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH (WITH BUSY HEALTH)
- Accessible healthcare services tailored to youth needs.
- Promotion of physical activity, nutrition education, and mental healthawareness and support.
- Diversionary programs for young people who have identified AOD use as a barrier to education and/or employment.
YOUTH JUSTICE
Diversionary youth justice programs focusing on rehabilitation and reintegration.
Services to families to assist them in supporting their young person.
PREPARING FOR WORK
- Career exploration programs exposing young people to local industries and job opportunities that are linked to their goals and aspirations.
- Advice and support.
- Parent workshops that deliver knowledge that enables them to provide career advice and support.
Key Focus Areas
- Education Transition and School Retention: Programs to support the smooth transition from primary school to high school and support to help students stay engaged with their education.
- Career Planning for Students: Programs to support students and their parents and guardians to identify career opportunities that align with their skills and areas of interest.
- Youth Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Diversionary Programs: Programs to support young people who have identified AOD as a barrier to education or employment.
- Youth Justice: Programs to divert young people from the youth justice system and engage them in education or work.
- Housing and Homelessness: Supported accommodation for young people with the delivery of youth shelters, transitional accommodation and alternative housing options for young people who are employed or studying.
- Family Relationships and Reunification Programs: Early intervention programs focused on stabilising family relationships to address the issue of youth homelessness.
- Community Connections: Non-youth specific programs to facilitate community wide connection and address barriers to education, employment and social participation.
At BUSY Youth and Community Services, we are committed to developing innovative programs to address service delivery gaps for young people. We work in partnership with community groups and services and state youth peak bodies, as well as government departments to ensure our services are comprehensive and impactful at a local level.
How we Work with Young People
Programs that are delivered by BUSY at Work Youth and Community Services adopt The Foyer Federation’s Advantaged Thinking Principles. Advantaged Thinking is a philosophy about using the advantages we possess as humans, our assets, talents, resources and abilities, to create the conditions for a society in which young people can thrive.
BUSY at Work Youth and Community Services commit to:
- Talking positively to and about young people.
- Understanding each young person’s circumstances, skills, goals and aspirations.
- Working alongside young people and involve them to achieve their goals.
- Co-designing services with the lived experience of young people.
- Creating youth friendly environments for them to participate in.
- Being solutions focused.
Unbounded Possibilities with BUSY
The BUSY Group’s ranges of services provide young people participating in BUSY Youth and Community Services programs with a holistic approach to supporting them to Achieve their education and employment goals.
BUSY Youth and Community Services works closely with internal programs and provides linkages to:
- Apprenticeship and traineeship advice and pathways through BUSY Australian Apprenticeship Support Services.
- Employment support and pathways through Transition to Work, Workforce Australia, and Disability Employment Services.
- Physical and Mental Health support through BUSY Health.
- Alternative Education options through BUSY Schools.
- Accredited training through Skill360 and One Stop Training.
How we Work with the Community
BUSY at Work is committed to working with government agencies, communities and other service providers to ensure that services provided to young people and their families are impactful and relevant to the local context. We commit to:
Collaboration and partnerships: We recognise that addressing community issues requires a multi-faceted approach. Therefore, we actively collaborate and partner with government agencies, other service providers, educational institutions, and community stakeholders. By bringing together diverse expertise and resources, we can develop holistic solutions that comprehensively address the needs of young people.
Co-design: We understand the importance of involving young people in the decision-making process. Their unique perspectives and lived experiences are invaluable in designing and evaluating programs that resonate with their needs and aspirations. Through active engagement with young, we ensure that our services are relevant, inclusive, and effective.
Monitoring and Evaluation: We establish robust mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the impact of our services. By regularly assessing outcomes and collecting feedback participants and the community, we can measure the effectiveness of our programs and identify areas for improvement. This ongoing monitoring ensures our responsiveness to the evolving needs of young people and the community, while also guaranteeing that the investment in services is producing high-impact results.
