Adolescents' empathy is an essential socio-emotional concept that helps mediate friendships and family relationships. Year 10 boys, aged 15-17 years, were invited to participate in a five-day experiential education program (Design Week) based on a social equity challenge using a Design Thinking concept. Students worked in small groups, mentored by…

Adolescence and young adulthood is a critical period in a person's life. Young people can experience rapid physical, social and emotional changes. For many, these changes occur while they are also making the transition from dependence to independence. This is a time for finishing school, pursuing further training and education, entering the…

This article aims to contribute to understandings of youth homelessness and subjectivity by analysing identity construction in terms of young people's negotiation of the structural and institutional environment of youth homelessness. I suggest that while existing literature on this topic concentrates mainly on micro-social encounters, the…

Children who accompany their parents or guardians during a period of homelessness make up 37% (more than one in three) of all people accessing the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) services. This paper describes an Australian qualitative study that explored the experiences of children who accompanied their families during periods…

Drawing upon empirical data from four research projects undertaken in Adelaide, South Australia, we examine the cumulative effects of deprivation on the lives of young people. Utilising a social exclusion framework for analysis we demonstrate the dynamic interplay between the various dimensions of social exclusion. We present the experiences and…

In an effort to address the issue of youth homelessness in Australia, Regional Extended Family Services (REFS) have developed a wilderness-based therapeutic intervention. REFS aim to provide early intervention services for young people at risk of homelessness, and their families. This study examined the outcomes of the REFS wilderness program by…

The incidence and circumstances of young people carrying knives and dangerous implements was investigated through surveys conducted with 150 "street youth" and 184 "school youth" in Sydney. It was found that a significant proportion of both samples carry and use knives/dangerous implements and that these implements had been…

This document brings together relevant information on the topic of unsupported, homeless young people under 18 years of age. The stated purpose of the document is to identify policy directions which take account of the changing situations of many young people who are struggling to survive. Chapter 1 briefly outlines the background of the paper.…

This paper investigates young people's accounts of governance in their everyday lives within a Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) in regional Australia. The SAAP is a joint Commonwealth and State/Territory programme for assisting people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness by providing transitional supported accommodation and…

The issue of youth homelessness in Australia is examined in the context of relevant social and educational policies. The exploration is based on 8 years of research into the situation of homeless youth in Australia involving several studies, including a study of school students in 9 communities and field visits to 100 schools. In 1994, researchers…

Compared 52 homeless male and female runaways and throwaways for social adjustment and symptomatology. Found that male runaways were significantly more hostile than male throwaways and significantly more socially isolated than female runaways. Female throwaways were significantly more hostile than male throwaways and female runaways. Homeless…

Young people who experience homelessness, in Australia and in other western contexts (US, Canada, England), are widely perceived to use and abuse alcohol and drugs. The available research indicates that homeless young people use all drug types, whether injected or otherwise, more frequently than their home-based peers. Debate exists in the…

Reports on an ethnographic project examining an Australian program designed to provide homeless adolescents with access to secondary education. Focuses on the relationships among groups of students within the program and explores the way that education can either reinforce disadvantage or offer access to opportunity. (MJP)

Survey of 22 rural Australian youth, aged 12-18 and not attending school or work, found that youth were strongly motivated towards creative, practical, and life skills learning. Describes a model of the phenomenon of "street kids" at the intersection of youth unemployment, homelessness, and truancy. Recommends establishment of pilot…

This book examines how social and economic changes in the past 20 years have affected the lives of Western youth and changed their attitudes toward and experiences of work, education, relationships, and health. Part 1 reviews 10 years of research, policy, and practice related to individuals aged 15-30 in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United…