Creating ImpactYoung people leading cultural change

in our local communities

Caro Jende for Youth Arts QueenslandTal Fitzpatrick from Volunteering QLD

Presentation Outline• Creating Impact: from an idea to a pilot

delivery• VQ’s Youth Leading Youth research • Young people creating impact • Experiences of leadership as an emerging

arts professional • Q & A

Creating ImpactFrom an idea to a pilot delivery

November 2009 - Launch of Young People Creating Queensland

www.youngpeoplecreatingqld.org.au Creatives and projects included inspired the development of Creating Impact

Photo by Elleni Toumpas

• 2-day professional development workshop (participation fee) in Brisbane

• 13 participants (7 from outside Brisbane incl 3x Cairns, 2x Moreton Bay region, 1x Toowoomba and 1x Gold Coast)

• attendance of 2010 Backbone Youth Arts 2high Festival

November 2010 - Creating Impact Pilot

Creating Impact session topics• leadership models & styles • introduction to cultural leadership research• practical strategies of creating impact • group facilitation & decision making

processes • planning and idea generation• approaches to extending the reach of

projects

Photos from the Creating Impact Pilot

Youth Leading Youth Research

Organisations lead by young people

Researchers: Jenny Geale & Mark Creyton

Youth Leading YouthWhy young people?• young people are an important growing

source of volunteers • in order to better understand how they work

and how to better engage with them VQ looked at how youth led youth organisations run and what strategies they use to engage and lead other young people

Youth Leading YouthThe research • looked at 8 different organisations who self-

identified as “youth led” from various sectors including social justice, arts, science, public policy and community services sectors

• ran a series of one-on-one conversational interviews questioning the young people around loose framework

Framework• creating the space - space for new people,

ideas, methods• linking - invitation, welcoming, into the space• engagement - expanding involvement• belonging - building identity• taking a leadership role - influencing

Youth Leading Youth

Youth Leading YouthKey initial findings

Linking Engaging Belonging

Events Big, challenging projects

Shared experiences

Technology Unique experiences

Language

Keep it personal

Maintain boundaries

Stories

Next phase• looking at how larger, more traditional

organisation work with young people • develop a set of strategies and

recommendations for organisations looking to engage and improve the way they work with young people

Youth Leading Youth

Young people creating impact

Findings from the Creating Impact pilot

Young people creating impact• more young people volunteer within the

cultural sector than almost any other• volunteering and leadership in this sector are

often very different from other sectors• rural communities have high levels of youth

engaged in volunteering and leadership in the cultural sector

Young people creating impactCultural sector lends itself to youth engagement because it is/provides:• innovative and encourages change• non-judgemental and inclusive• unique experiences and entertaining• fluid, informal, flexible

Young people creating impactHow are young people creating impact:• creating new work • running projects and initiatives • innovation through cross-sector collaboration• creating opportunities for others to create,

participate and contribute • empower and support peers • facilitating social change and social inclusion

Young people creating impactWhat support do young people need:• support through mentoring and advocacy• training and professional development

opportunities • access to resources such as space,

equipment, professional advice, funding • empowerment: recognition, validation and

reassurance of work

Experiences of leadership as emerging arts

professionalMeet 3 participants of Creating Impact

and find out about their projects

ExperiencesMelissa Edwards - Cairns

• Board member of Cell Art Space• Secured RADF funding

towards T3: Talks, Tunes and Tapas and holds 4 events

• Secures additional funding for inaugural Heyday Festival 2012

Photo by Elleni Toumpas

Elouise Quinlivan - Toowoomba

• Participation in NEIS program • Opens Zine Shop

‘Smells Like Zines’• Participation in Starburst

regional mentoring program• Attendance at ‘Yes, we are

here’ ARI conference

Experiences

Tal Fitzpatrick - Gold Coast

• Becomes President of Crossing Divides Inc.

• First volunteers for VolunteeringQLD, then secures full-time employment as their Leadership Coordinator

Experiences

Q & A

Thank you for Creating Impact!

Youth Arts Queensland Tal Fitzpatrick | Volunteering Qld(07) 3252 5115 (07) 3002 7600info@yaq.org.au tal.fitzpatrick@volunteeringqld.org.auwww.yaq.org.au www.volunteeringqld.org.au @YAQ_QLD @VolunteeringQLD