NCYR Member News
April 2008
In recognition of her research into young people's participation and social inclusion, USNCYR co-convenor Kathy Edwards was an invited participant in a select group of expert researchers and practitioners called together by the Australian Federal Police with the mission of designing a National Research Agenda around Missing Persons.
Comparatively little is known about the 'who', 'why' and 'where' of 'missingness' in Australia, although young people have been identified as constituting a high proportion of those reported as 'missing'. At the forum Kathy highlighted the need for inclusive communities in preventing 'missingness' and as a counter-strategy to pathologising 'the missing'. She also emphasised the necessity of understanding power dynamics in narratives of 'missingness' where the perspectives of young people are compared with adults. Finally she advised that research methodologies employed in understanding 'missingness' should foster and respect the voices of young people as well as aim to understand the experience of ‘missingness’ from their perspectives.
New book releases
The Network is pleased to announce a number of new books by members.Dianna Kenny and Paul Nelson recently released Young Offenders on Community Orders: Health, Welfare and Criminogenic Needs. (2008). Sydney University Press. The research reported in this book advances understanding of juvenile crime, its health and substance abuse patterns, cognitive correlates and offence trajectories, thereby facilitating effective policies and practices to reduce recidivism, improve health and create prosocial alternatives for young Australians at risk of a criminal career. The book examines the characteristics of 800 young offenders serving community-based orders with the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice and compares this group with young offenders in custody and same-aged adolescents in the general population. It presents a detailed profile of the physical, sexual and mental health needs of young offenders, their cognitive, educational and occupational functioning, and examines their substance use and offending patterns that can inform treatment planning and service delivery.
Kate Russell is co-editor of Child Welfare in Football: An exploration of children's welfare in the modern game. Brackenridge, C., Pitchford, A., Russell, K. M. & Nutt, G. (Eds). (2007). London: Routledge. This text presents an evidence-based account of contemporary youth soccer from a wide range of perspectives and discusses key themes such as child protection, children and the role of family, children and the 'football family', ethical dilemmas and the changing culture of football. The book presents unique research into the experience of a range of stakeholders in the contemporary youth game including children, parents, teachers, doctors, coaches, managers and scouts, child protection officers, soccer academies, referees, sports scientists, adult players and representatives of disability football. It provides an avenue for the voices of young people taking part in soccer to be heard as well as presenting a unique insight into the ways in which this sport is experienced by a variety of groups.
Kathy Edwards is a co-editor of Youth And Political Participation, newly released by Sense Publishers. Besides Kathy's own contribution to the volume, on the impact of compulsory voting on young people's attitudes to the franchise, two other Network members also have essays in the book. Derrick Armstrong's chapter is about the civic engagement of 'problem' youth and Ariadne Vromen discusses young people and participation via the internet.