CYP Matters

Respect and listening

SA study calls for more culturally sensitive school policies amid reports of hair discrimination
High school student Brianna was recently approached by a staff member asking her to remove her braids, in an exchange that took her by surprise. A recent University of South Australia study, which looked into the sense of belonging for African Australian youth in schools, found Brianna’s case was not isolated. More >

‘It’s not part of the curriculum’: LGBTQIA+ students want more inclusive classrooms
Australian relationships and sexuality curriculum content explores physical, social and emotional changes, and the role of relationships, identities and sexuality however, state and territory governments are responsible for setting curriculum. Young people want the support they receive at home to be extended to Australian classrooms. More >

Enjoying and achieving

Australia: ‘Bush kinder’ turns nature novices into eco-experts
Many children, particularly those living in urban areas, have limited access to, and are spending less and less time in ‘wild’ outdoor spaces. This includes forests, beaches and under-developed parklands.  More >

A silver lining from the pandemic: how lockdowns helped kids learn the languages their parents speak
For many multilingual families, a child’s home language often comes second to the societal language, which dominates their language development as they grow up. Research shows that pandemic lockdowns allowed children whose parent’s mother tongue is not spoken in wider society, to learn more about that language. More >

An inspiring beacon of Indigenous education
Across Gorokan High School’s campus, NSW, rich cultural connections between students and the wider community are flourishing, giving young people a stronger sense of belonging, camaraderie, and empowerment. While many of these connections take place through the power of storytelling, Aboriginal Art, Dance and Didge, the weekly Ngura (place) Program is a shining example of what a successful First Nations education program should look like. More >

Vertical schools are increasingly common. This is what students want in ‘high’ school design
The traditional idea of a one or two storey school spread over a vast campus is no longer an option for some new schools. Population growth and a lack of land in urban areas mean some schools have to go up. More >

Kaylee was ‘drowning’ at school and hated going, but now she loves it
Rates of what is known as ‘school refusal’ or ‘school phobia’ have been growing. National attendance rates show a steady decline in public, private, Catholic and independent schools. Hester Hornbook Academy in Melbourne is a school dedicated to helping young people who refuse, or ‘cannot go’, to traditional schools. More >

Participation

Index of child and youth engagement reports
This index pulls together New Zealand-based engagement reports on a wide variety of topics that feature the insights and perspectives of children and young people. Engagements were undertaken by government agencies, NGOs, universities and youth-led initiatives, and ranged from small, qualitative engagements targeting specific population groups, through to more extensive surveys involving thousands of children and young people. More >

Prepared for adult life

ChatGPT-style AI app to be trialled in eight South Australian high schools
The measure of a good education is not just around the fundamentals of reading and writing, but it’s how we prepare young people for the world they’re going to live in. AI is going to become more prevalent as a part of young people’s working lives and they should have an understanding of how to use AI safely.  More >

Health and wellbeing

Fathers and fathering
Young children’s brains produce more than a million neural connections each second. For parents and carers, this offers a wonderful opportunity to offer children ways to see and experience relationships and learn that the world can be balanced, secure and loving. Fathers play a crucial role in this. More >

Mattering: Resurrecting this Understated Concept in School Practices
A neglected aspect of social and professional development is the concept of mattering; the sense that other people depend on us; the perception that other people regard us as important; the realization that other people are actively paying attention to us. It is interesting that of the two sides of this concept, mattering and self-esteem, self-esteem became topical; and mattering, which underwrites self-esteem has been largely ignored.  More >

Autism, our kids, our stories: voices of Aboriginal parents across Australia
One factor that remains little understood, is the reluctance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a disability to identify as being disabled. Historically, in Aboriginal traditional language there wasn’t a comparable word for disability. This suggests that disability was an accepted part of the human experience. More >

KidsRights Index 2023
One in four children across the world are expected to be living below the poverty line this year following the war in Ukraine, which has sent energy and food costs soaring across the world, and over the past year, environmental disasters due to climate change have occurred with devastating impacts on children.  More >

Safe and nurtured

The hidden role of domestic and family violence in youth suicide
This report examines current evidence on the association between growing up with experiences of violence in the home and youth suicide, child maltreatment and youth suicide, the role of the child protection system, and the impact of other adverse childhood events.  More >

Prioritising young people’s voices: a call for change
This blog, written by Lorna Robinson, a young person with first-hand experience in the youth justice system is calling for the voices of children and young people in detention to be amplified and listened to, and that their rights are upheld to prevent further trauma and marginalisation for this already vulnerable group. More >

Foster to Family
This framework and toolkit are designed for practitioners, program designers, commissioners, managers; anyone who is keen to test and enable different pathways out of care so that together, parents can be supported,
when and where it’s safe to do so, to have their children back in their care.  More >