Beyond the Bell report shines spotlight on youth issues and gives teens a voice

Young people feel connected to their local communities but want more inclusion and tolerance, the report also found.

More than 700 young people were interviewed as part of Beyond the Bell's Youth Conversations project which was amended to include changes brought about by the pandemic.

Youth Conversations is an initiative designed to ensure Beyond the Bell and the region are listening to and understanding young people's views about education, training, community, future employment, what connects them to their communities and the barriers they face.

Young people aged 12-19 from Colac Otway, Corangamite, Glenelg, Moyne, Southern Grampians and Warrnambool were interviewed.

"We aimed to gather the local lived-experience voice of young people and be responsive to that," Beyond the Bell executive officer Kate Roache said.

"We had little data driven by young people in our region but this gives us the groundwork to act on the learnings and recommendations."

Beyond the Bell is planning to run a series of forums to discuss the findings and recommendations.

"There will be opportunities for people to design the next phase of the project, particularly young people, including the possibility of developing a young person reference group," Ms Roache said.

The research was undertaken by young people trained by YACVic to become youth facilitators and Ms Roache said a framework would be developed to continue engaging young people in the follow-up work.

"It's all about building capacity and engagement in young people across the region," she said.

The final Youth Conversations report, compiled by Deakin University and released this week shows, that while people aged 12 to 19 feel a strong connection to their communities through common livelihoods, sport, arts and local activities and groups, they also fear they will have to leave to seek education, training and employment options.

Deakin University Warrnambool campus director Alistair McCosh said the report reiterated the importance of the regional university campus and its role in supporting students.

"Studying at a regional campus is a really positive thing in terms of being able to stay at home," he said.

Young people are also concerned about the need for more inclusion and diversity and want less judgmental attitudes towards differences.

They also face difficulties in accessing some events due to transport and technology limitations, and in some cases say they feel disconnected from their schools.

In response to the findings, Youth Conversations is calling for innovative programs linking community engagement and education provision, identifying specific areas of impact created by young people's limited transport and technology access, and strengthening and expanding programs to make communities safer and more inclusive places for everyone.

While young people across all local government areas expressed a very strong connection to their local communities, some said regional events and training opportunities were not evenly distributed, often due to inadequate transport.

The research found young people became more aware of the role played by school and education in keeping them connected to their community during the pandemic lockdowns, but some seeking a vocational pathway didn't feel supported by their schools and communities.

Many young people reported feeling compelled to leave their communities in pursuit of travel, education and employment.

They indicated a need for more suitable education, training and employment opportunities in the region to enable them to stay or return.

Young people consistently expressed a desire for their communities to be more inclusive, more diverse, and less judgmental of difference.

Members of the LGBTQI+ community said they did not always feel safe in their community.

The Youth Conversations data indicates negative social relations could be reduced by addressing discrimination and conservative attitudes towards life choices, and by addressing lack of safety in the community, and perceived risks such as crime, poor roads and transport infrastructure, and street lighting.

Positive social relations could be strengthened through more youth-focused organisations, free or affordable activities, and better resources and infrastructure in their communities.

COVID-19 has given young people a new appreciation of their families and schools, and while the pandemic left some struggling to cope with remote learning, others excelled.

As part of the project, young people were asked what had changed for them since COVID-19, how they adapted to the pandemic and what they had learned about themselves and others during the pandemic.

The report found that young people gained a new appreciation for the role played by schools in keeping them connected.

Many said they particularly missed the social connections provided by school and other social activities in their community.

There were also relationship benefits from lockdowns, with some young people saying they became closer to their families because they spent more time together during the pandemic.

Remote learning was a mixed bag.

Young people frequently reported that they did not respond well to remote learning arrangements during lockdowns, with some finding it demotivating and limited because of a lack of social interactions.

Others noted unequal access to technology, resources and essential help they needed to participate effectively in remote learning.

However, some students relished online learning, saying they became more focused on their schooling and achieved unexpected success.

The pandemic impacted young people significantly with many reporting a strong feeling of being mentally down and pessimistic about the future.

They were most concerned about the lack of opportunity to connect with peers and participate in events that connect them to their communities.

The report found the lockdowns were particularly difficult for students living alone or in challenging domestic circumstances.

The Youth Conversations report recommends support for young people, teachers and schools with trauma-sensitive learning approaches, and advocating for sustained region-wide targeted support for young people whose educational progress has been impacted significantly by the pandemic.

Warrnambool teenager Ines Gagniere is feeling animated about her future but admits the pandemic has taken its toll on local young people.

The year 12 Emmanuel College student was one of the 711 people interviewed as part of the project who was now designing information graphics and summaries for the next phase of the project.

The 17-year-old welcomed the concept of consulting younger people and says Youth Conversations had given a voice to teenagers in the region.

"It's an interesting report," Ines said. "I was surprised to find a lot of young people do volunteer work at a young age," she said.

"It was also interesting that many young people wanted to feel much safer in their communities."

Ines completed a survey to contribute to the research project and said it prompted her to think more about local opportunities and challenges.

"It was a good idea to have the pandemic section because it did take a big toll last year," she said.

"In a sense, COVID greatly contributed to changing our education and connection to the community."

From an educational perspective, she would like to see more industry-based opportunities, especially for those wanting hands-on careers.

"More work experience would be a good idea so we can be more certain about the industry we'd like to go in," she said.

Ines plans to take a gap year in 2022 and then go to university, possibly in France, to study animation.

"That's always been a field I've been interested in," she said.

She feels well supported at school to pursue her dream.

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