What Have Councils Ever Done For Young People?

Our Future is NOW Youth Development Conference

12 February 2015

Stuart Boyd

Senior Strategy Consultant

Adelaide City Council

Context

Strategy development

Social planning

Internal advocacy

Overview

Our Future is NOW

“We live in a decaying age. Young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They frequently inhabit taverns and have no self-control." 6,000-year-old Egyptian tomb

"What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets, inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?" Fourth Century BC Socrates or Plato

"The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint ... As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behaviour and dress.“ AD1274, Peter the Hermit

Young People Today………….

Our Future is NOW

Local Government Can Be Weird!

Our Future is NOW

Local Government Strategic Planning

Our Future is NOW

Strategy:Those decisions that have high medium-term to long-term impact;• Focus on activities (doing the right things well) • Analysis leading to resourcing and implementing

decisions• Create value for customers & key stakeholders

[Public Value]Adapted from Hubbard, Rice and Beamish – Strategic Management – Thinking Analysis Action

“In real life, strategy is actually very straightforward. You pick a general direction and implement like hell.” Jack Welsh, former CEO General Electric

Local Government Role & Principles

Our Future is NOW

Local Government Act 1999 (SA) (Section 6) include:• to provide services and facilities and in a socially just

and ecologically sustainable manner;• to encourage and develop initiatives for improving the

quality of life of the community; and• to represent the interests of the community to the

wider community.

The objectives of Councils (Section 8) include:• to participate with other Councils and spheres of

Government in policy and planning; • to ensure a proper balance within its community between

economic, social, environmental and cultural considerations;

• to ensure equitable access to services, facilities and programs.

‘It’s more than just project management, it’s the understanding of Council’s overall strategy’

Elected member – research focus group

Our Future is NOW

Talking about youth development ……..

Local Government Strategic Planning

Our Future is NOW

Councils’ Role FlowchartDoes the Community need it?Planner role – encompassing research and community engagement

Yes No

Don’t provide it.None – no role for Council

Is Council best placed to provide it?

Assessed against Council’s own Policy and policy of others

Does Council have the resources to provide it?

Yes

Don’t provide it but work with others to

see that it is provided.

Coordination, Capacity Building, Regulating,

Advocacy or Part Funder role – bring

together stakeholders, resolve issues

Yes No

Provide it.Council as the Owner of the

activity

Work to gain the extra resources.

No

No But!

May be no-one else<

Yes But!

Only to develop best model

Short Term Owner Work to develop

capacity of others – broker Coalition of

the Willing<

Project Manager or Outsourcing

Our Future is NOW

Scope of Social Planning!

Social Infrastructure Diagram from Planning for Urban Infill, Elton Consulting (2011)

Four areas of focus

1. Strategy and Policy (Council-wide and Youth specific)

2. Participation of young people

3. Coordination and Capacity Building of Agencies

4. Running Events and Programs

Our Future is NOW

Extraneous community expectations / media portrayal of young people, etc

Policy/strategy

Ill-defined, not in place or not implemented

Engagement/ participation

Strategic Program/event

Capacity building/ coordination

Events/programs

Reactive rather than proactive services

Services not targeted to areas of need

Ineffective use/waste of resources

Not all relevant stakeholders involved

Poor outputs and outcomes

Lack of long term viability

 

Council Strategic Management Plan

Strategy - Many Councils do this

Our Future is NOW

 

 

Engagement/ participation

Capacity building/ coordination

 

Events/ programs

Strategy

Policy

Extraneous community expectations / media portrayal of young people, etc

Clear outcome measures

Clear output measures

Council Strategic Management Plan

A Better Way?

Our Future is NOW

Our Future is NOW

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Skills Needed - Youth Officer

“Relate to and Understand Young People”

Key to engaging young people in the business of Council

Youth Officers may face differing, and sometimes competing, expectations from ◦ Line Manager◦ Council Executive◦ Elected members◦ Young People and ◦ The General Community

Highlights need for clear policy/strategy

Youth Officers – What’s expected?

Our Future is NOW

  Youth Officers Community Managers

General Managers

Elected Members

Motivation  

Externally focussed

More internally focussed

More internally focussed

Externally focussed

Social Justice vs Social Inclusion

Social JusticeSocial

InclusionSocial

InclusionSocial

Inclusion

Most important

skill/knowledge

Ability to understand

and relate to young people

Ability to understand

and relate to young people

Ability to understand

and relate to young people

Ability to understand

and relate to young people

How do you know a Youth

Officer is doing a ‘good

job’? 

     

Outcomes – ‘making a difference’ Outputs – collect these numbers because they are expected.

Outcomes – capacity building of young people and the sector Outputs – are expected to collect these numbers

Outcomes - capacity building, sustainability, broader impact Outputs- numbers are important for justification of work, budgets, etc

Outcomes most important; community capacity building and young people’s citizenship.

Different Perspectives

Young People are Citizens Involvement in Council’s activities –

including Strategic Planning

Directly involved and/or running youth events /activities

Models of gaining participation need to be targeted

Young people working alongside other community members

Our Future is NOW

Operational: projects/programs

Broad consultation/participation on specific projects and events

Young People on Community Reference Group

S41 Youth Advisory Committee

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Youth Advisory Committee

Young Person Elected member

Civic leadership

Better decision making

Long-term change / strategic

Other Civic Participation

Youth Participation

Our Future is NOW

A different question?

What have Councils ever done WITH young people?

Our Future is NOW

What Have Councils Ever Done For Young People?