Bringing up Children Gran’s Way: Insights from a research project on Indigenous child and youth mental health

Background In 2000, the Mater Child and Youth Mental Health Service Indigenous consultant saw that Indigenous families were isolated from kinship networks following the assimilation policy and clinicians were largely unaware of these socio-cultural histories. Experiences of marginalisation by mainstream society and services were exacerbated by assumptions clinicians made about this population. To enhance Mater’s care the consultant undertook research with Indigenous Elders. The project, “Bringing up Children Gran’s Way”, on which the presenter is the research advisor, was funded by AIATSIS. Aims Increase service quality Improve staff confidence, skills and satisfaction working with this population Promote the wellbeing of Indigenous families Acknowledge the significance of Elders and extended family networks. Methods Over 2006/07 the team used narrative and Indigenous methodologies, (e.g. yarning circles and the use of Indigenous research staff) to arrange and audio-record structured interviews with 19 Aboriginal Elders, on growing up and parenting. The participants were recruited by the Indigenous consultant and gave written consent, following ethical approval and information giving. The team immersed themselves in the material by repeated reading of the transcripts to note recurring themes in Elders’ narratives. Findings The recurring themes included the importance of cultural protocols and extended family; impacts of being ‘under the Act and stories of surviving change; culture, spiritualty and religion; trans-generational impacts; childrearing and the need to reconcile with Elders. Discussion The narratives show Elders resilience in the face of enduring impact of policies of genocide and assimilation. Clinicians need to approach their work with a deeper understanding of the diversity of clients’ social experience and cultural identity. Clinicians need to examine their own cultural assumptions about this population. Conclusion The dissemination of the knowledge and experience of Elders is a matter of social justice and crucial for the well-being of future generations and for improved service access.

Youth master plans as potential roadmaps to creating child- and youth-friendly cities

Communities across the globe are focusing on the needs of young people and their families in an effort to create child- and youth-friendly cities. In an attempt to become more child and youth friendly, over 40 communities in the United States have developed youth master plans (YMPs), as of 2009; however, our understanding of these plans is limited. To broaden this understanding, this research employed a multiple-methods approach, including an online questionnaire, plan analysis and semi-structured interviews with key community informants. Findings show that YMPs often focus on collaboration among community entities and youth participation, yet include only general normative statements regarding the physical environment. Furthermore, urban planners do not typically take the lead in development of YMPs, and, in some cases, are not involved at all. To inform and improve future YMPs, this paper recommends greater focus on the physical environment, particularly in relation to safety, access to nature and sustainable transportation.

The present attitude of African youth towards entrepreneurship

It is widely known that entrepreneurship plays a crucial role within the economy. As the African economy needs rapid development and growth, this paper investigates the present attitude of African youth towards new business creation and entrepreneurship. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used, and 204 people participated in the study. The participants were accessed via social media such as Facebook (pages and groups), LinkedIn (groups), Twitter, and WhatsApp. The results reveal that African youth have positive attitudes and that they are entrepreneurially active and ready to take risks, provided that they can be self-dependent. Similarly, the results show that entrepreneurship education is much needed to improve innovative start-ups in Africa.

12-weeks supervised exercise training is a feasible and efficacious treatment for reducing depression in youth with major depressive disorder

Introduction: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has high prevalence among adolescents and young adults. Evidence of any effective treatments is limited. Exercise as an effective treatment for adults has some support but studies in younger populations are lacking. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of brief motivational interviewing (MI) plus 12-weeks exercise training as a treatment for MDD in youth...

Youth programs in remote Indigenous communities: Context matters

A diversity of programs oriented to young people seek to develop their capacities and their connection to the communities in which they live. Some focus on ameliorating a particular issue or ‘deficit’ whilst others, such as sporting, recreation and youth groups are more grounded in the community. This article reports a qualitative study undertaken in three remote Indigenous communities in Central Australia. Sixty interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders involved in a diversity of youth programs. A range of critical challenges for and characteristics of remote Indigenous youth programs are identified if such programs are to be ‘fit for context’. ‘Youth centred-context specific’ provides a positive frame for the delivery of youth programs in remote Central Australia, encouraging an explicit focus on program logic; program content and processes; and relational, temporal, and, spatial aspects of the practice context. These provide lenses with which youth program planning and delivery may be enhanced in remote communities. Culturally safe service planning and delivery suggests locally determined processes for decision-making and community ownership. In some cases, this may mean a community preference for all ages to access the service to engage in culturally relevant activities. Where activities are targeted at young people, yet open to and inclusive of all ages, they provide a medium for cross-generational interaction that requires a high degree of flexibility on the part of staff and funding programs. Although the findings are focused in Central Australia, they may be relevant to similar contexts elsewhere.