Media Release: New Youth Transition Service guides city youth

Posted on 23 September 2009 at 02:49 PM

21 September 2009

Christchurch young people will be guided into further education, training or employment through a new Youth Transition Service, evolved from the earlier Canterbury Development Corporation (CDC) and Work and Income Actionworks Partnership.

Mayor Bob Parker welcomed the city’s new Youth Transition Service.

“Through the Actionworks partnership, Christchurch City has supported these types of services for years.  It’s really important that our young people have a sense of purpose and direction.  This new service brings Christchurch into line with other regions around the country where the Ministry of Social Development provides support for programmes that help young people
transition successfully.”

“The work of the Youth Transition Service will be delivered in collaboration by Community Colleges, the new Actionworks Trust and Te Runanga o Nga Maata Waka.  It is all about engagement and positive activities so young people can make good decisions about their futures.  I believe those decisions will have a positive impact on the city.”

CDC’s restructuring late last year identified that the Actionworks and Youthworks programmes were no longer considered core business.  Chief Executive for CDC, Bill Luff acknowledged the city’s support for the past 12 years of the CDC youth programmes and has overseen the transition of these services to the new Actionworks Trust.

Michelle Mitchell, Regional Commissioner for Social Development also acknowledged the valuable contribution the previous Actionworks partnership has made to the successful transition of Christchurch’s young people, and is thrilled to see the introduction of this new service which will build on those achievements.

The new service consists of tracking and follow-up of all school leavers aged 15-19 years with the offer of individualised help for those needing extra support.

Community Colleges will deliver the tracking service, working with the schools and referring those young people needing additional support to either the Actionworks Trust or Te Runanga o Nga Maata Waka for customised support.

Doug Reid from Community Colleges New Zealand says “We are very pleased to be involved in the Canterbury Youth Transition Service. We see it as complementary to our work in foundation education assisting young people as they move from school into the world of work or higher education. We have been involved in the “Workin it out” school tracker system in the Southern Region for three years and have seen how successful and positive this intervention can be.“

Actionworks Trust Manager, Peter Young, says “We’ll be working with young people who need some guidance about career pathway planning.  It’s continuing the work previously done through the old Actionworks and Youthworks programme, capitalising on the established relationships with high schools, training providers and employers.”

“In the current economic climate, it is pretty tough for young people to get work.  The role of the Actionworks Trust will be to individually support each young person referred to further enhance their opportunities and options when it comes to employment, training or further education.  Ultimately the service is about engaging young people into meaningful activities, benefiting both their own and the city’s growth,” he said. 

Norm Dewes from Nga Maata Waka says “Our commitment is to work with young people to build their confidence and engage them in employment opportunities they may not have been able to connect to without our assistance.  We have a slightly different way of delivering our service and will be incorporating Maori culture into our approach. It is structured and has some teeth to achieve good results. I am optimistic Christchurch employers and the whole community will be motivated to work with us and the young people to achieve excellent results. “

Ends

For more information about the Youth Transition Service contact Regional Commissioner for Social Development Michelle Mitchell on 03 963-2385.  For more information about Actionworks, contact Peter Young at 353 6880.