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The annual Yogie Awards recognise, celebrate, promote and reward outstanding practice in working with young people in the ACT and surrounding area.

The 2009 Yogie Awards

The Youth Coalition is delighted to announce the winners of this year's Annual YOGIE Awards. The YOGIE Awards recognise, celebrate, promote and reward outstanding practice in working with young people in the ACT and surrounding area. The YOGIE Awards are a Youth Coalition of the ACT initiative, proudly supported by the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services, ACT Government.

The YOGIE Awards were presented this morning at the Youth Coalition of the ACT, by the Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Ms Joy Burch. Entertainment was provided by a young woman, Soheyla, who played the piano and sang her original compilations. The Youth Coalition would like to thank all the workers and services who attended the ceremony. The winners are outlined below.

View the full 2009 YOGIE Awards Booklet.

ORGANISATIONAL AWARDS

The following categories are awards presented to organisations, services and programs for outstanding work with and for young people in the ACT.

1. Outstanding Achievement in Youth Participation Award

This award recognises an organisation, service, program or project that has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to developing meaningful partnerships with young people.

Winner: Young Carers Leadership Committee, CYCLOPS ACT, Anglicare Canberra and Goulburn

The Young Carers Leadership Committee (the Committee) was established in March 2009, and seeks to provide members with opportunities to participate in advocacy, networking, awareness-raising, and developing of social activities for the young carer community in the ACT. Supported by the staff teams at CYCLOPS ACT and the Litmus Program, the Committee currently has five passionate and enthusiastic young members. Each member of the Committee has a unique story regarding their caring role and experiences with different services. These experiences have provided the young people with a valuable insight into service delivery, community awareness, and the lives of other young carers.

2. Innovation in Practice Award

This award recognises an organisation, service, program or project that has demonstrated exceptional 'thinking outside the square' to create beneficial change for young people.

Winner: STEPS Program, CatholicCare Canberra and Goulburn

The CatholicCare STEPS Program (STEPS) is a sub-acute step-up step-down accommodation facility for young people aged 13 – 18 years experiencing mental distress. Funded by ACT Health, STEPS commenced operations in April 2008. STEPS operates through a partnership between CatholicCare and CAMHS. The first step-up step-down mental health facilitity for young people in Australia, STEPS has an early intervention and prevention focus to recovery by providing young people who may be experiencing an escalation in their mental illness (step up), or those who have been hospitalised but are now stable (step down), an alternative to hospitalisation.

3. Collaboration for Change Award

This award recognises an organisation, service, program or project that has demonstrated an outstanding collaboration or partnership in their community as a means to achieving positive outcomes for young people.

Joint Winners: headspace ACT and Multicultural Youth Services Driver Program

headspace ACT: headspace ACT opened on 9 September 2008, and aims to provide an integrated, multidisciplinary and evidence-based early intervention service for young people in the ACT aged 12 – 25 years, with emerging mild to moderate mental health and/or substance use problems. headspace ACT is an innovative service with 18 multidisciplinary professionals providing integrated care from a centralised location at the University of Canberra.

MYS Driver Project: The Driver Project (the Project) was initiated by Multicultural Youth Services (MYS) in 2009, in response to the most popular request for support from MYS clients – driving lessons. MYS, with support from SCOPE Youth Services, YWCA, received two grants from the ACT Government, through the Office for Multicultural Affairs, and the Office for Women, to deliver this project. The Project provided support to 18 young people through 3 all-day driver educational programs with the Australian Federal Police driving school, followed by 9 weekly individual driving lessons with each young person through the Arrow Driving School.

Commendation: Collaboration between Tumladden Youth Accommodation, Oasis Youth Residential Service, Lowana Youth Service and ACT Housing Gateway Services

In 2009, representatives from Tumladden, Lowana Youth Services, and Oasis Youth Residential Service met with ACT Housing Gateway Services. It was agreed that Youth Housing Outreach Workers would visit Southside youth accommodation services on a monthly basis, to take applications for ACT Housing, conduct intake interviews, and be available for existing applicants to follow up their status.

4. Excellence in Research and Evaluation Award

This award recognises an organisation, service, program or project that has conducted research and/or evaluation for the advancement of knowledge in youth affairs and / or the improvement of practice with young people.

Winner: Who Cares? Research Project, Institute of Child Protection Studies

In September 2009, the Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) released a report, developed by Debbie Noble-Carr, Tim Moore and Morag McArthur, titled Who Cares? Experiences of young people living with a family member who has an alcohol or other drug issue. The report is the culmination of a research project that aimed to explore the question: What are the specific needs of children who have a parent with an alcohol or other drug issue, and how are these similar to other children with care responsibilities?

5. Excellence in Organisational Practice Award

This award recognises an organisation, service or program that has demonstrated excellence in organisational development as a means to achieving positive outcomes with young people.

Winner: CREATE Your Future Program, CREATE Foundation ACT

The CREATE Foundation provides support and advocates on behalf of children and young people in out-of-home care. The CREATE Foundation in the ACT provides a number of programs to children and young people, including the CREATE Your Future Program, which is funded by DHCS and provides outreach support to young people aged 16 – 25 years, who are transitioning to independence, with a focus on accessing and maintaining education and employment. This 12 month pilot program began in February 2009 and was accessed by up to 20 young people.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

The following categories are awards presented to individuals for their outstanding work with and for young people in the ACT.

1. Outstanding Youth Worker Award

This award recognises an individual youth worker who has advanced the rights and wellbeing of young people by advocating for systemic change, supporting young people to access full membership of society and to be decision makers in their own lives.

Winner: Steve Byrne

Steve Byrne has been involved in the youth sector for a number of years, in both direct service delivery and at a sector level. Most recently, Steve worked as a youth worker at the newly-established headspace ACT, with young people aged 12 – 25 experiencing emerging, mild to moderate mental health and / or alcohol and other drug issues. (Steve Byrne was unable to be present at the awards.)

2. Outstanding New Talent Award

This award recognises an individual youth worker, youth work trainee or volunteer that has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to improving the wellbeing of young people.

Winner: Maryse Pietersz

Maryse works as a youth worker in the Transition Program at Barnardos, which provides support and accommodation to chronically homeless young people in the ACT. Maryse provides outreach support to young people who are not in Barnardos accommodation.

3. Outstanding Contribution to Young People Award

This award recognises an outstanding individual who works to improve the wellbeing of young people in the ACT.

Winner: Carrie Fowlie

Having worked in the youth sector for a number of years, Carrie Fowlie previously worked at Northside Community Services, and at Anglicare Canberra and Goulburn. For the last five years, she has been working at the Youth Coalition of the ACT, the majority of which she was the Deputy Director.

4. Lifetime Achievement Award

This award recognises an outstanding individual who has consistently demonstrated a commitment to supporting and improving the wellbeing of young people in the ACT.

Winner: Andy Miles

Andy is currently the manager of Barnardos Transition Program in Canberra, and has been working with young people for more than 12 years. Within the sector, he is renowned and respected for his work ethic, conviction to support young people, and humour.

View the 2009 YOGIE Awards booklet, which provides more information on each of the winners listed above.

Past Yogies

2008

View the booket outlining the winners from 2008.

View photos of the event from our flickr page.

2007

View the booklet containing the details of the winners from 2007.

View photos of the event from our flickr page.