Young people

Bay of Plenty's young people are our future leaders.

We want our young people to make positive choices about their future and to have the right information to make good life decisions. Young people are most successful when they have a purpose. Education, training and work can offer that purpose.

If our young people get into trouble with the law, we want to help them get on the right track. For the small number of young people who are committing serious crimes, we're taking action in an effort to stop them from becoming career criminals.

Youth employment

Many of our young people face barriers when seeking employment, because of their lack of qualifications and experience, and because of issues of social and community connectedness. We are engaged in a number of initiatives to help our people address these concerns.

Youth Opportunities package
Times are hard for communities and their young people. The number of young people who don't have a job is four times higher now than it was this time last year. The Government announced the Youth Opportunities package, working with employers and communities to find opportunities for 16- to 24-year olds, to work, train or stay in education.

In 2009/2010 as part of the Youth Opportunities package we will:

• fund entry-level jobs for six months, to build experience and confidence
• make 3,000 places for young people to work on community projects
• create extra job-training placements through industry partnerships
• expand the Limited Service Volunteer Scheme by an extra 1,250 places.

Integrated Youth Support contracts in Kawerau and Rotorua will work with youth at risk of experiencing long-term unemployment, and in conjunction with their wider families and whānau. This support will help them to get jobs and stay in them.

To help young people get work we will focus on their vocational aspirations, and facilitate work experience for them before they start employment. Youth Work Ethic programmes will be run in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Greerton and Tauranga. We will also run a Work Ethic Residential Training programme in Taupo, providing intensive job search skill training to young people who would benefit from getting away from their current living situation.

In Rotorua, we'll run a pilot programme for youth experiencing moderate to severe mental health issues to help them into employment and to support them in the workplace. We are contracting Ngati Awa in the Greater Whakatane area to help youth both in their personal development and to obtain employment, primarily within the iwi's treaty settlement projects.

Getting young people to reach their potential

In the Bay we have young people who are doing just fine. They know what path they want to take and have an idea of where they want to go in life. Our job is to give them opportunities to participate in development activities and decision making.

We want our young people to help make the decisions that will affect them. The Rotorua District Council, along with the Ministry of Youth Development and Te Waiariki Purea Trust are teaming up to mentor young people to help them make the transition to education, training or employment.

Te Waiariki Purea Trust plays an important role in our community as the provider of the Youth Transition Services in Rotorua. In the coming year we are also partnering with them to establish the Youth Engagement Service in Kawerau, Whakatane and Opotiki. The Trust also offers Cultural Journeys, holiday programmes for young people and whānau events to bring young people and their parents/caregivers together.

Student support
Over the next year we will extend the MyStudyLink online account service so students can assess their eligibility for most forms of support and apply for it online in one seamless process.

Getting young people on the right path

Trouble at home, or getting in with the wrong crowd, can very quickly lead to young people breaking the law and ending up in the youth justice system. We help those in the system, or close to entering it, find a way out.

Fresh Start
In August 2009 the Prime Minister announced an expanded Fresh Start for Young Offenders programme, building on the youth justice announcements made earlier in the year. The aim of the programme is to stop young people from re-offending by helping young people involved in low-level offending to get back on track, by holding serious and persistent young offenders to account, and by addressing the root causes of offending.

Some of the initiatives, announced as part of Fresh Start for Young Offenders, include:

• structured community youth programmes for low-level young offenders
• participation in either community or residential court-ordered drug and alcohol programmes, parenting and mentoring programmes
• Youth Court-supervised camps and greater Youth Court powers
• Supervision with Activity Orders with extra places in a range of programmes that incorporate elements of military-style training
• military-style activity camps for serious young offenders.

Reducing gang participation
We want to make sure our young people know there are many positive alternatives to the gang lifestyle and culture. Initially focusing on Rotorua and Kawerau, we are working with local communities and other gencies to develop initiatives to work with young people at the edge of gang involvement.

Reducing youth offending
A small number of young people get caught in cycles of offending. We know we can achieve lasting change when whole communities work together to develop solutions - especially in encouraging those young people to connect to education, training or work. Not only will we be working with young people to help them get onto better paths, we will be working more closely with the New Zealand Police and victims of youth offenders to better understand the impact these young people have on our community.