The motion and speech were informed by recent work by Anglicare’s Research, Evaluation and Advocacy team, which can be found here: https://anglicaresq.org.au/youth%20inclusion/
The motion was moved by Dr Stephen Harrison, Director of Mission, Research and Advocacy at Anglicare Southern Queensland.
In moving this motion, I first wish to recognise the young people in our midst today and who we have a relationship with throughout the different parts of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland – through parishes, schools, Anglicare, AYCF and the many other expressions of our church. Each and every one of them is a gift to us. As a church we should seek to support them to fulfil their potential to contribute to society and live satisfying and productive lives.
This includes those who have offended or are at risk of offending.
One young person who Anglicare has worked with is Ben.
‘Ben’ has been experiencing primary homelessness since the start of 2020. He often didn’t engage with outreach services in the community, which led to non-compliance with court orders due to his instability and transience.
Our relationship with Ben began with one of our Intensive Bail Initiative Hubs through informal engagement, relationship-building and pro-social role modelling. The hub also provided him with basic needs: clothing, shower, food and a safe place to retreat to; and facilitated his compliance with Youth Justice orders.
We engaged with Ben on a range of issues. We looked at the patterns of his offending behaviour; identified the importance of his friendship group to him and worked to support that through activities such as fishing, football and table tennis. We explored domestic and family violence issues, including the difference between discipline with love or violence. We also supported Ben to source appropriate accommodation where he could distance himself from negative influences.
While Ben is still experiencing primary homelessness due to the housing crisis, he is now employed, and has committed no further offences in the past six months. He is compliant with court orders and is engaging regularly with Anglicare.
Ben has identified that in the future he would like to be a youth worker. When we asked him — If in 5 years you’re doing what you love, what will have changed from now?
His response? Not being on the street.
Our Intensive Bail Initiative (IBI) in particular works with young people who for whatever reason have offended. The IBI includes a range of programs that provide early intervention and diversionary support to young people. Participants are predominantly first-time offenders who have actively chosen to participate in the program as they have a keen desire to change their behaviors and improve their life outcomes. We work with both the individual and their family and provide practical support such as mentoring, parenting programs, counselling and assistance in finding employment and secure housing.
Ben’s story is a good news story. The type that we who believe that people can be transformed should embrace.
This is not the type of story however that the media wishes to tell.
I am deeply concerned at the current treatment of young people by the media. We are witnessing a disturbing attempt to scapegoat, stigmatise and socially exclude young people through negative reporting. This messaging in the media is damaging. It does not reflect the truth of young people in our society and in many cases seems to deliberately present a false message not supported by the data. This is particularly the case regarding youth offending.
The Queensland Government Statistician Office revealed in April that the number of youth offenders decreased by 26 percent over nine years and that in 21-22 it was at its lowest rate in Queensland’s recorded history. The rate did rise very slightly in 22-23 but only by 1.1% more than the increase in adult offending.
Incidents resulting in a person’s death were the most widely reported of youth offences within the news media, despite their relative rarity. News outlets not uncommonly frame such reporting in sensational terms. Young people have been described as a ‘burgeoning criminal generation’ who are ‘running wild’ and ‘fuelling Queensland’s youth violence explosion’; and disease metaphors such as ‘epidemic’, ‘scourge’ and ‘plague’ are commonly used — unsurprisingly being echoed in public comments.
The constant refrain of negative language describing alleged youth offenders acts to stigmatise and exclude young people from their communities. As young people from our IBI program commented:
The way they talk about us young people makes us seems like bad people. We’re not bad people…
I hate when the media talks about young people being hopeless and helpless. I saw them on the news calling young people hopeless and it made me so angry. We are trying.
Media depicts us as ‘malicious’, ‘evil’ and label us negatively. They drag it out, turn it into a story and think that’s all the young people will ever be.
How the media makes out the young people committing so much more crime than they are.
This language also has the effect of making people afraid and unsafe. This is not helpful for social cohesion in a time when many young people are facing very hard times.
The issue facing the Queensland Government continues therefore to be twofold: to address both youth offending, and the community’s perception of it.
We suggest that one important strategy for helping community members feel safer, against a backdrop of media and pockets of community fear-mongering, is to share more stories about what is working.
There are many good stories emerging about programs that support young people and families when they need it, and contribute to the desired goal of a safer community. QCOSS highlights for example the Horse Whispering Youth Program on the Raise the Age campaign page and Anglicare programs, current and past, have had significant success helping young people and their families to address the underlying causes of their offending.
Anglicare in its work with young people has developed ‘Media guidelines for reporting on alleged youth offending’ to help address the issue of negative media reporting. I encourage members of Synod to read them.
We also encourage everyone who is part of our church to explore actions they can take locally to encourage positive initiatives with and for children and young people, including those at risk and suffering disadvantage.
In particular we ask the Queensland Government to re-commit itself to the development of evidence-based policy, including effective prevention, early intervention strategies, and work with families, that supports the social inclusion of young people and their pathways into fulfilling and productive lives.
…
Motion 10. Negative media reporting and young people
Dr Stephen Harrison to move; The Very Rev’d Dr Peter Catt seconding:
That this Synod:
1. Affirms the intrinsic worth of young people in Australian society, and their right to the support needed to enable them to fulfil their potential to contribute to society and live satisfying and productive lives.
2. Expresses concern at the ubiquity and harmfulness of negative media reporting and community action that acts to stigmatise and socially exclude young people and undermines the possibility of community ties and support acting as protective factors for young people.
3. Notes ‘Media guidelines for reporting on alleged youth offending’ to help address this issue have been developed and disseminated by Anglicare’s Research & Advocacy team and partners from The University of Queensland and media agency, BBS Communications Group.
4. Encourages:
a. individuals and ACSQ parishes and agencies to:
i. be aware of negative and inflammatory reporting about children and young people and help to raise awareness of others in this regard;
ii. explore actions they can take locally to encourage positive initiatives with and for children and young people, including those at risk and suffering disadvantage.
b. the Queensland Government to re-commit itself to the development of evidence-based policy, including effective prevention, early intervention strategies, and work with families, that supports the social inclusion of young people and their pathways into fulfilling and productive lives.
Explanatory notes
An Anglicare web page including links to research and resources can be found here: anglicaresq.org.au/youth-inclusion
Considerable research and Anglicare’s long experience working directly with young people has identified:
- the integral role of social inclusion and a sense of belonging as key contributors supporting young people into positive life pathways.
- the potential negative impacts of social exclusion on adolescents, which include higher incidences of substance use/abuse; risky behaviours, including offending; mental health concerns (such as depression); and negative school-related outcomes.
- the detrimental impacts of negative media reporting and community action (particularly via social media) on the social inclusion of young people, especially those at risk.