Issue Five:
AYCafe
Auburn Youth Centre (AYC) is dedicated to supporting young disengaged and vulnerable people between the ages of 12 and 24, particularly those facing challenges such as socioeconomic disadvantage, the refugee and migrant experience, and mental health issues. Established in 1986 and located in Lidcombe, AYC utilises its public-facing café, AYCafe, as a free vocational training hub for young people interested in gaining practical experience and qualifications. This experience can come in the form of barista training, Certificate II in Food Handling and Food Safety, Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) and Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) certificates, and customer service and money handling skills. In addition to its café operations, AYCafe offers catering services for events, providing delicious cultural food prepared by young trainees. AYCafe also provides assistance with English language skills, resume building, interview preparation, and job placement. But beyond this, the program is designed to be flexible and accommodating, with youth workers and counsellors supporting participants at their own pace and encouraging them to realise their own aspirations for the future through their work at the café.
“Individuals do not move passively through life. They are affected by, and must navigate, formal institutions (such as schools), peer networks, families and neighbourhoods, and what has been called the ‘wider learning platform’ (which ranges from friends to the Internet). The challenge is to connect all these ‘spheres of influence’ together for a positive result, empowering young people to take an active role in achieving positive life outcomes.” – Leadbeater, 2008, as cited in McNeil, Reeder & Rich, 2012
AYCafe applies a youth development framework within the social enterprise. This empowerment-based approach focuses on building confidence, social skills and independence through transferrable skills and formal qualifications. The café helps to empower young people to become job-ready and self-sufficient, giving them tools they can use long after they leave the program. Participants also experience the supportive mentorship offered by the trained AYC staff and hospitality professionals. This support includes one-on-one mentoring, feedback and encouragement, and guidance on resumes, job search, and interview preparation. This mentorship dynamic also supports the concept that stable relationships are vital for rapport-building with young people, which encourages them to have ongoing and meaningful engagement in their own care (Lynch et al., 2021). This in turn will help to ensure a solid base for long-term successful outcomes. Further to this, the consideration given to those who have been traditionally marginalised is evident throughout the structure of the program, which is client-led and tailored to local needs. Reviewed and adjusted yearly, AYCafe provides a safe space for trying, learning, failing, and succeeding. The program creates equitable access to empowerment opportunities and provides real-world experiences that help to shape a young person’s identity and purpose. The sense of ownership and agency gained by participants through the program reflects the active role they play in the creation of their own future; they are not just passive recipients of AYC’s services, they are “architects of their own future”.
AYC recognises the complex trauma that accompanies such experiences as migration and seeking asylum, juvenile justice, substance use, and abuse. Through their trauma-informed care model, they focus on dignity, voice, and potential in all their programs, and AYCafe is no different. This program engages young people where they are currently at, and makes it understood that there is no room for judgement or other punitive treatment during the participants’ journey of learning and growth. The emphasis on safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment builds dignity and confidence in young people during some of the most turbulent times in their lives. Programs like this also improve a young person’s belief in their own personal worth and their ability to influence their lives and environments (Kirby & Bryson, 2002, as cited in Morton & Montgomery, 2011). The majority of young people who pass through this program transitioned from juvenile justice centres, arrived in Australia from refugee camps, or they have disengaged from school. AYCafe provides an experiential learning environment different from the standard school, TAFE or apprenticeship, and caters to these challenges and conveys the message that no-one is born broken. With the Cumberland local government area being one of the most socio-economically disadvantaged in NSW (profile.id, 2021), there is a risk of perpetuating a narrative regarding troubled young people, namely that of disadvantage, despondency and disenfranchisement. Receiving the promising message loud and clear that vulnerable young people are deserving of ongoing support and encouragement counters this narrative, and builds their sense of agency and desire to contribute back resulting in positive outcomes for them as individuals and for society at large.
AYC and its programs have touched the lives of many individuals and families over the years. One such story is that of a young family that migrated from Turkey. Around the time of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the family was visiting Australia and due to changed circumstances, were unable to return to Turkey. The family initially had no supports and no guidance for how to navigate a foreign country as a new migrant family. They connected with AYC which supported the entire family in multiple areas. This included providing them with food relief via grocery packs, assisting them with writing a migrant scholarship application for their youngest child, and sending all three children through the AYCafe program. The family has since been granted permanent residency, and the youngest was awarded the migrant scholarship which paid for uniforms, excursions and other schooling costs. Another success story is that of a young person left on the doorstep of AYC at 12 years old with no family, no housing, and experiencing the effects of trauma as well as behavioural and drug issues. AYC supported them in their journey into the foster system and back into schooling. Eventually the young person was successfully placed into a foster family and started their diploma of youth work. This person is now supporting vulnerable young people in the community in the same way that AYC supported them. The focus on equipping, involving, and uplifting young people in every aspect of these programs – including in the AYCafe training program – is a practical, inclusive, and community-centred model that is making a tangible difference in the lives of vulnerable young people.
Evidence in practice
The youth development framework is predicated on the notion of improving the long-term life chances of young people by supporting them to become economically self-sufficient, to be healthy and have good family and social relationships, and to contribute to their community. A key component of this approach is building on the following developmental outcomes: increased productivity, connection with peers and family, and learning to navigate changing conditions, developmental transitions and unhealthy behaviours (Connell, Gambone & Smith, 1998).
There are three critical pillars of trauma-informed care that have been described as fundamental and universal to enabling healing to take place, especially in children: safety, connections, and emotional management and regulation (van der Kolk & Courtois, 2005, as cited in Bath, 2008). Establishing a sense of safety, nurturing positive relationships, and managing the dysregulation of emotions and impulses will strengthen protective factors and make space for healing and growth.
References
Bath, H. (2008). The three pillars of trauma-informed care. Reclaiming children and youth, 17(3), 17-21. Available from https://elevhalsan.uppsala.se/globalassets/elevhalsan/dokument/psykologhandlingar/trauma-informed-care.pdf
Connell, J., Gambone, M., & Smith, Y. (1998). Youth development in community settings: Challenges to our field and approach. Philadelphia, PA: Institute for Reform in Education. Available from http://www.ydsi.org/ydsi/pdf/publication_01.pdf
Lynch, L., Moorhead, A., Long, M., & Hawthorne-Steele, I. (2021). What Type of Helping Relationship Do Young People Need? Engaging and Maintaining Young People in Mental Health Care—A Narrative Review. Youth & Society, 53(8), 1376 –1399. Available from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0044118X20902786
McNeil, B., Reeder, N. & Rich, J. (2012). A framework of outcomes for young people. Department for Education, The Young Foundation, London, UK. Available from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/16379772.pdf
Morton, M., Montgomery, P. (2011). Youth empowerment programs for improving self-efficacy and self-esteem of adolescents. Campbell Systematic Reviews. Available from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344476238_Youth_Empowerment_Programs_for_Improving_Self-Efficacy_and_Self-Esteem_of_Adolescents
Profile.id. (2021). Cumberland City SEIFA by Local Government Area. Available from https://profile.id.com.au/cumberland/seifa-disadvantage?SeifaKey=40004
