The Key Processes that Engage Disaffected Youth

1. The Key Processes that Engage Disaffected Youth A Research Project on BoysTown’s Social Enterprises Salote Mafi, Australia

2. BoysTown Social Enterprises Client group Marginalised young people aged 15-25 years Objective Develop and enhance the work-readiness of marginalised young people Real-life work environment with added support Paid work for participants The output of the work is visible in the community

3. BoysTown Social Enterprises Key components Experiential learning of vocational and employability skills Training to reinforce the learning of vocational skills Case management and group workshops to address individual barriers to employment Examples Landscaping Graffiti removal Asset and property maintenance Construction Hospitality

4. Australian Research Council Linkage Project Griffith University and BoysTown collaboration Reconnecting Disaffected Youth through Successful Transition to Work Mixed method Interviews about key processes to engaging young people in social enterprises 40 young people 52 BoysTown staff members Surveys to measure personal development 542 young people in BoysTown’s social enterprises

5. Program Engagement Centredness

6. Cognitive-Motivational Outcomes

7. Person-Centredness

8. Psycho-Social and Cultural Outcomes

9. Success-Centredness

10. Employment and Education Outcomes 73% obtained positive employment or education outcomes 41% gained full-time employment 20% engaged with education 12% gained part-time employment Of the participants who obtained an outcome: 89% remained in their outcome for at least 13 weeks 80% remained in their outcome for at least 26 weeks

11. What the young people say… “It’s good, they change lives, they turned me around… Because before I came here I was starting to fall down the wrong path but when I came here I changed. I’m a better person now.”