OCTOBER:  Anglicare SQ Young Women’s Voices

Anglicare Young Women’s Voices aims to discover how the youth justice system, and human services such as child protection, mental health and education that have touch points with justice, could be improved to generate better outcomes for those who identify as young women. The project emerged from the 2017 Anglicare Youth Voices project, which sought the views of young people about effective supports in their lives.

The Youth Voices project enabled young people to influence youth policy, program development and service delivery in government, schools and community organisations — to communicate what they saw as a flourishing life, and the supports they needed to achieve that. 

The project was a truly collaborative journey. Young people actively co-designed the questions; participated in the project across 4 states and 20 sites; and were at the core of project workshops bringing together young people, teachers, youth workers, government policy officers and others to explore the data and how it might inform practical initiatives and outcomes for young people.

From this significant consultation emerged the Anglicare Young Women’s Voices program in which Queensland University of Technology, Flinders University and five Anglicare organisations across Australia are partnering in a three-year Australian Research Council project focusing on improved service delivery for girls.

“Young Women’s Voices will privilege the views and experiences of young women who are part of these systems,” said Chief Investigator, Professor Kelly Richards from QUT. “Young women will be part of the project every step of the way, from inclusion on the steering group through to contributing to the data analysis. Their voices will help to identify strengths and weaknesses in the justice and human services systems as they experience them.”

The Young Women’s Voices program is just one example of Anglicare SQ’s various support engagements. Are we able to support this work of Anglicare with young women? Donations to Anglicare are tax deductible. Place your donation in the October envelopes available in the Narthex, and place it in the donation boxes, in the collection, to the Cathedral Office Monday-Friday, or give it to a warden. If you wish to have a receipt, please provide your name and address on the envelope. Using electronic banking, make a bank transfer to BSB 034 003 Account No.385378. Please narrate your deposit “Outreach 10” and also email outreach@stjohnscathedral.com.au to inform us of your deposit, (including the amount), and to provide your postal/email details for the receipt. For credit card payments, please phone the cathedral office during normal business hours Monday-Friday (07 3835 2222). Anglicare will provide receipts direct in late November or early December Thank you.