The research identified potential opportunities with regards to communications development, where this is a focus on youth engagement and education. This approach is based on working with at-risk youth to design and develop resources that target other young people. This method can effectively engage youth with key messages on harm minimisation and prevention, and educate them on the long term affects of substance misuse. Key benefits of this approach are that young people have ownership of the messages, and messages are highly targeted in terms of language and relevance.
Therefore, based on the research findings, the following recommendations are made with regards to future communications and program development.
6.1 Target Audience and Key Messages
When considering message delivery for young people in the CDR and the Kimberley region, the research indicates that a fluid, dynamic and interactive communication strategy is most appropriate.
Within this, there is a wide range of target audiences to be considered, and varying information needs, as summarised below:
6.1.1 Young people
While young people are the primary target audience, the research indicates that delivering messages appropriately to young people in remote communities is very challenging, and that messages need to be highly targeted and relevant. Based on the research, a broad approach to message delivery is not appropriate. For example, information needs and delivery channels vary considerably across communities and within communities, with requests from the stakeholders included in the research to design messages in consultation with young people, targeting at-risk youth with specific messages addressing risk-taking behaviour. For example, there were several approaches identified in the research where young people were engaged to develop messages targeting specific substance youth behaviour, and this approach was deemed to be effective in transferring information.
There is a need for information on the risks of VSA, and making healthy lifestyle choices, although specific messages need to be developed in consultation with young people themselves. Based on this, the main need with regards to message delivery is informing young people of the risks and impact of VSA, and within this, offering young people an opportunity to articulate their concerns and aspirations. As mentioned above, message and communications development with young people was seen as a diversionary activity that offers an opportunity for youth engagement.
Youth engagement strategies that offer opportunities for delivering key messages include IT hubs/interactive IT activities, youth leadership groups or reference groups, music programs (drumming workshops, hip hop, rap etc), sporting activities and carnivals, and new media (e.g. video and radio production).
6.1.2 Key influencers: families, elders, community leaders
It is important that families, elders and community leaders are engaged when addressing substance use among youth. This group needs information on addressing substance use concerns, with an approach that leads to empowerment, ownership and greater control. There is a need for strategies to be developed at the local level that are highly targeted and relevant. Examples where this approach had worked well in the research were based on local organisations working in partnership with families and other key influencers to meet their information needs, and provide advice and assistance in addressing any concerns.
6.1.3 Service providers and community organisations
The research identified a high level of interest from these organisations to form long-term partnerships with government. As well, there is a clear need for two-way information delivery, so that information is delivered to organisations by government and vice versa. In the Central Desert Region, the greatest need is for interactive engagement in order to share ideas, identify opportunities and strategies, and to utilise the local knowledge and expertise of these service providers in working with government, in partnership, to address youth diversion and VSA. In the East Kimberley region, there are fewer organisations with expertise on VSA within the Indigenous remote community context, and therefore there are opportunities for government to work together with these organisations to enhance the skills of local organisations, and to create stronger working relationships ‘on the ground’ with Aboriginal organisations and other youth services, in order to facilitate interagency communications. Intermediaries in this context include Aboriginal organisations, youth services, Police and health services.
This forum will offer opportunities to discuss policy, resources, community feedback, and program needs.
6.1.4 Youth workers
Youth workers based in communities were seen as an effective service model for delivering youth diversion programs and messages to young people. It will be important that these youth workers are provided with training and support to develop youth engagement approaches that include message development in an interactive way. FaHCSIA should work with organisations in the relevant regions that are skilled and resourced in youth development, in order to provide guidelines for youth workers on community engagement. This support should also include examples of successful approaches that have been used in the past, clear guidelines on developing relationships and engagement strategies within communities, as well as links to organisations or resources that can assist (for example, new media activities).
6.1.5 Retailers
There were several examples in Alice Springs where organisations have worked closely with retailers to develop supply reduction strategies. The research suggests there are opportunities to expand this strategy in the East Kimberley region. As well, it may be possible for locally based youth workers to work with local organisations and retailers to identify potential supply reduction strategies that are appropriate for individual communities.
6.1.6 Non-Indigenous residents
The research identified a need to design and implement communications targeting non-Indigenous residents on Opal fuel to dispel myths about potential harm Opal fuel may cause vehicles
6.2 Program Context and Service Delivery
Given that the bulk of the consultations were conducted with service providers, the research identified opportunities with regards to service delivery and program and policy future directions. While these do not necessarily have a direct link with communications development, they were highlighted as key priorities by the service providers, and therefore have been included in Attachments One and Two.
6.3 Best Practice Principles
For the development of communications targeting young people, or the development of program and policy initiatives, it is important that there is a commitment from both government and community organisations to community development principles including:
- Community consultation with a broad range of community members
- Localisation of service delivery wherever possible
- Community ownership over programs
- Strong relationships between organisations and communities
- Capacity building and mentoring of local Indigenous people
- Using creativity & subtlety in messaging and youth programs
- Employing qualified and experienced workers with remote experience wherever possible