Youth projects

Youth Survey

Youth projects

Youth strategy

Youth publications

GRIND Youth newspaper

Skate park 

Youth advisory group

Youth projects
Welcome to Council's Youth Projects. Youth play a highly important role in the Darwin community; in fact, the Northern Territory is second only to the ACT with a higher than national average youth population in comparison to its total population. Today's society is the youngest ever; almost fifty percent of the world's population is aged 25 years or under.

Council recognises its youth community as diverse, dynamic and requiring specialised attention and has set the span of its youth services though its Youth Strategy which provides a plan for 2000 to 2005. The strategy is available for download from this site and can also be obtained by contacting Youth Projects at Council.Under the Youth Projects banner, Council convenes the Youth Advisory Group, the GRIND youth newspaper and hosts an annual youth event or workshop. Events to date have included X Day 2000, X Day 2001 incorporating the NT Heats of the Xtreme Games, Graffik Measures aerosol art project, POPART workshop featuring former MAMBO artist Jeff Raglus, WILPOWER, media and leadership workshop hosted by Triple J's Wil Anderson, and THA BIG GIG 2004 which marked Darwin's official closing event for National Youth Week and showcased 14 local bands and acts.Council is committed to facilitating genuine youth participation opportunities. Since the adoption of the Youth Strategy in 2000, all youth events supported by Council such as THA BIG GIG, POPART and WILPOWER were planned and hosted exclusively by young people for young people.

Youth Projects coordinates the Youth Services Directory - a directory resource for youth sector workers and this publication may be downloaded from this site or obtained as a hard copy from Council. For young people, a free pocket size youth information card is produced and distributed to all students and youth service providers in the Darwin area.

For further information regarding Council's youth publications, joining the projects on offer or assistance with information, please contact Council's Youth Services Project Officer on 89300 635, email m.smith@darwin.nt.gov.au or complete the 'I want to get active and join in form' and send it in.

Youth strategy
"Young ones, kids, juveniles, young adults, young people, youth, adolescents and teenagers". All of these terms are commonly used to describe the age range for people between 12 to 25 years. It's difficult to settle on an age grouping that everyone agrees with, but for most people, this age period is the time of life when we grow from children into adults. Being in this 'in between stage' means that the needs of young people can sometimes be different to the needs of other people in the community. Council, for the purpose of its 'Youth Strategy', has agreed to the age range of 12 to 20 years which recognises that young people have differing and special needs.

Just as the age range is really broad, so are the challenges and issues faced by young people. Young people are not all the same; in fact each person is an individual and unique. Some of the things that make up the mosaic of differences include whether young people are at school, work or are unemployed, their culture, religion, life experiences and interests etc.As young people spend a lot of their time in the community when they go to school, training for a job, working, playing sport and hanging out, they are probably one of the most visible groups in the community.Local government is the level of government closest to the community and because Darwin City Council is a community organisation, it is in an excellent position to see what is happening in the Darwin community. The challenge for Council is not just to know about the different issues young people face, but also to take action on this information. With this in mind, the Youth Strategy provides a framework for what Council aims to do in relation to youth affairs. I want a copy of the Youth Strategy booklet PDF version or contact Council for a hard copy.

Youth publications
Council coordinates a range of publications for the community. The following are intended exclusively for young people or as a resource for those who work with young people.

Youth Information Card
A handy wallet card detailing key contacts and services for young people in Darwin is produced annually as a quick reference for young people. The info card is distributed to all schools, youth services providers and groups. Additional copies can be obtained by contacting the Youth Services Project Officer on 89300 635.

Youth Services Directory
Provided as a resource for youth sector workers, Council coordinates the Darwin Youth Services Directory which details local youth service providers, their programs and key contact information. The directory is updated regularly and can be obtained by phoning the Community Services Department on 89300 633 or click here to download a copy.

GRIND
GRIND is Darwin's only youth exclusive newspaper and is created by young people for young people and coordinated by Council. GRIND is published quarterly and is distributed to all schools, youth service providers, libraries, cinemas and many businesses.Youth journalists, cartoonists, poets, photographers, artists or those wishing to help behind the scenes are welcome to join this 50-strong team. Team meetings are held every three weeks at Council's Civic Centre and any young people aged between 12 and 20 years are very welcome to be part of this exciting project. For more information or to subscribe ph 89300 635.

GRIND Youth newspaper
In early 2000, Darwin City Council agreed to fund a youth publication. A very small group of young people got together to create the first edition of the paper and decided to name it GRIND.

Over time, Youth Projects at Council has developed GRIND with local young people so that it can involve as many different young people as possible. Hopefully this will reflect how diverse the youth population is in Darwin. The Team now has almost 60 young people involved. Darwin City Council has what is called a Youth Strategy, which is a detailed plan of youth services and projects assisted and run by Council. As part of the strategy, Council is committed to supporting young people's involvement in the community and promoting of positive images and achievements of young people where ever possible.

GRIND has many purposes. It aims to be a positive publication that is genuinely by youth for youth. It provides a supported vehicle for a youth voice, promotes the positive contribution young people make in our community, provides an outlet for youth culture and expression and debunks the negative stereotypes so often portrayed in mainstream media of young people.

GRIND is an excellent way to showcase and demonstrate to the Darwin community just how vibrant, creative and active young people are. Since expanding GRIND there has been lots of interest from a broad range of young people who are keen to report on events, have a regular column, support the paper by helping with administrative tasks or share their creative writing, cartoons, photography and art works with others. The entire production of GRIND from running team meetings, laying out the paper, editing, interviewing, distributing and administration is undertaken by the team with support from Council's Youth Project's Officer. All decisions relating to the running and production of the paper are made by the team.

GRIND is produced quarterly and has a print run of 3000. It is distributed through all schools, youth service providers, Angus & Roberston City store, Birch, Carroll & Coyle cinemas, public libraries, swimming pools and many businesses. The team is continually seeking more distribution outlets.From time to time the Council's Youth Officer will work with the Team to arrange for specialist skills workshops, depending on what the group identifies.

GRIND has enjoyed great support from many local and interstate journalists/artists, many who have donated their time and expertise with the team. Our supporters have included:

• Wil Anderson (Triple J & The Glass House) Jeff Raglus (former MAMBO artist) Kate Carter, Jack Ellis, Julia Christensen, Brian Crump (ABC journalists) Chris Carter (former GRIND and now NT NEWS Journalist) Sally Bothroyd (freelance and former Darwin Sun), George Negus (ABC's George Negus Tonight & former 60 Minutes)
• Linda Jaivon (Critical Mass & Weekend Australian)

Every 3^rd week the GRIND Team meets together at Darwin City Council (Civic Centre) to plan each edition and to work on articles and stories for the newspaper. Young people are welcome to work in Council's Youth Space which is also GRIND Headquarters at the Civic Centre.For further information or to join up please phone Marck Smith in Youth Projects on 8930 0635 or email m.smith@darwin.nt.gov.au

GRIND youth newspaper library
Back issues of GRIND are available for download in PDF format. PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader which is a free download from http://www.adobe.com/ If you would like to receive your own free hardcopy of GRIND please email m.smith@darwin.nt.gov.au or ph 08 8930 0635 to add your name to the free subscription list.

edition 15, edition16

edition 17, edtion 18, edition 19   edition 20

edition 21, edition 22

Water Gardens skate park
In July of 1999 Council officially opened Darwin's first skate park based at the Water Gardens. Local skaters worked closely with Council to design the facility which is situated on Trower Road in the Jingili Water Gardens. Use of the park is free and it is open to the public all year round.

Whilst simple and compact in design, the skate park has been home to the Northern Territory heats of the Planet X Xtreme Games on two occasions. Local skaters, BMX and in-line enthusiasts competed for the honour of representing the Northern Territory at a national level. The events were organised and hosted by the Council's Youth Advisory Group and offered a diverse range of recreational activities for young people.

The Water Gardens facility is well suited to those skaters and in-liners who are developing their skills and are more comfortable using a basic facility. Other skate parks in the Top End catering for the more advanced skater can be found at Palmerston, Leanyer and Humpty Doo.

Council's Recreation Services has responsibility for the skate park. Further information or queries may be directed to the Recreation Officer on 08 8930 0627 or by email to n.mccann@darwin.nt.gov.au

Youth advisory group

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is a group of between 8 to 15 young people, 2 youth workers, Council's Youth Projects Officer and an Alderman. Members are aged between 12 and 20 years and come from different backgrounds and experiences, from various local high schools, community and youth agencies, education, training, employment and recreation groups. See the YAG terms of reference.

YAG advises Council on a range of issues and makes recommendations on issues that affect young people locally. The group acts as a central point for youth issues at a Council level and also at different times hosts projects such as the Xtreme Games, Xtreme Xposed Battle of the Bands and THA BIG GIG. YAG meets every month or sometimes more regularly if working on a special project. To date, Council's Youth Advisory Group has provided advice that has resulted in significant gains in making Council a more youth friendly environment.