CCI in Retrospect and Prospect is an in-depth exploration of CCI's influence, impact and contributions since 2005, as well as its ongoing agenda.

1. Youthworx Media: youth transitions
and creative workforce
Aneta Podkalicka
Swinburne Institute for Social Research
Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries
and Innovation

2. What is Youthworx?
 youth media project (2008) and social enterprise
(2010) that engages marginalised youth in media
training and production to assist them in re-
connecting them with education and employment; –
interventionist; social justice agenda
 a social partnership between The Salvation Army,
youth-run community radio SYN, NMIT, and
ISR/CCI researchers
 practice-based research -- intensive, situated,
long-term ethnography + follow up interviews with
YWX graduates *Many thanks to the research participants (young
people and YWX staff) for their time and reflections

3. Youthworx research: 2008-2013
 An extensive ethnography at the project site – to understand patterns of participation,
institutional developments, media pedagogy, etc.
 Comparative research with a large-scale digital literacy program in the US – Digital
Connectors
 In 2012 and 2013 we conducted a series of follow-up interviews with Youthworx
graduates – to explore where they are at, how they look back at the participation in
the project, what they value most about it, and how it has translated into their lives
 This presentation draws on the follow-up interviews
• A group of 45 students who were officially enrolled in Youthworx courses between 2009-2011
• Relatively small numbers: the project began in 2008; introduced accredited courses in 2009; ~ 15
students/semester
• Out of 45 we interviewed 17 graduates. YWX and BYS staff helped establish transition pathways
for some other graduates

4. Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 TOTAL
Certs 15 18 19 17 18 87
Outcomes: # accredited courses (Certs I–III) in
Creative Industries and transitions

5. Types of education and training across apprenticeships, TAFE and
VCAL courses following Youthworx
Bakery
Boiler making
Childcare
Disability training
Forklift
Graphic design
Hospitality
Instrument making and repair
Landscaping
Mechanic
Media/Arts
Painting
Personal training
Photography
Retail
Rendering
Screen writing
Social work
Warehousing

6. Employment following Youthworx
Creative Industries employment (some
graduates have multiple forms of
employment).
Film and photography editing
Film making
Guitar making
Jeweller
Events organising
Musician
Photography
Other employment Car wreckage
Community centre
Car mechanic
Disability services
Equipment hire
Factory/Warehouse
Fitness training
Hospitality
Landscaping
Painting
Rendering
Retail
School support
Beauty professional

7. Youthworx value: Qualitative
assessment by young people
 All interviewees confirmed they benefitted from YWX (incl. gains in
personal, social, vocational skills)
 Many highly valued the increase in self-confidence as a basis for
taking advantage of other opportunities
 Prevailing assessment: “Youthworx has kick started it all for me”
 A strong sense of the opportunity that YWX offered to them at the
time they needed it most (e.g. I didn’t really have anything to do or
life direction…Just finished VCAL and looking for next thing…)

8. Main conclusions
 The YWX research confirms the value of creative work
training as an initial point of engagement (see Slater et
al. 2007)
 Main impact: as a springboard for further formalised edu
and general social and work skills development for
young people (not just employment in CI) → consistent
with other work, e.g.:
Cunningham and Bridgestock (2012): CI tertiary courses argued to
develop generic, transferrable skill to support transitions into
workforce
Sefton-Green (2008: 17): key role of semi-formal edu sector (with many
focused on edu for marginalised population) in promoting social inclusion

9. Conclusions #2: creative workforce &
social enterprise
 Not-for-profit sub-sector of creative economy provides an
employment and training opportunity for creative
practitioners as well, e.g.:
• Capacity building as teachers, facilitators, mentors beyond YWX
• Extending creative, professional skills through hands-on media work
• Facilitation of creative collaborations and partnerships (e.g. SYN)
• Extending training opps for interns, volunteers and university
students
Youthworx as a social enterprise offers training, creative outputs for
‘media with a social conscience/mission’ market; generates extra
funding

10. Youthworx Productions employees and staff (2010–2013)
Staff Total
Core staff 6
Core trainees 6
Contracted
industry
professionals
20
Paid trainee
assistants
24
Internships (e.g.
Open Channel,
Swinburne)
6
Background At Youthworx
Filmmaker, editor,
e.g. Underbelly
MAV mentorship
program
Radio producers,
SBS, ABC
‘Knife Violence’
SYN trainers ‘The Fringe Lane’
(Channel 31);
mentored YWX
trainees
Writer, filmmaker,
educator
‘Warrima’

11. References:
 Cunningham, S. and R. Bridgstock (2012), ‘Say goodbye to the fries: graduate careers in media,
cultural and communication studies’, Media International Australia Incorporating Culture and
Policy, 145, 6–17.
 Podkalicka, A., D. Meredyth, D. MacKenzie, E. Rennie, J. Staley, J. Thomas and C. Wilson
(2013), Youthworx Media: Youth Media and Social Enterprise as Intervention and Innovation,
http://www.cci.edu.au/YouthworxMedia_Report_2013.pdf.
 Podkalicka, A (forthcoming), “Youthworx: Media Work for Youth Transitions,” in Gregory Hearn,
Ruth Bridgstock, Ben Goldsmith, Jessica Rodgers (eds), Creative Work beyond the Creative
Industries: Innovation, Employment, and Education. Edited by (Edward Elgar).
 Podkalicka, A and E. Rennie (contracted) Using Media for Social Innovation (working title)
 Sefton-Green, J. (2008), What Future for the Non-Formal Learning Sector?: An Analytic Review
Commissioned by the London Development Agency, available at
http://www.julianseftongreen.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/seftongreen_NFLS_essay.pdf
(accessed 25 July 2013).
 Slater, J., B. Gidley, T. Dowmunt, S. Rowe, I.C. MacWeeney, R. Smith, A. Rooke and P. Cardullo
(2007), Inclusion Through Media: Beyond the Numbers Game, London: Centre for Urban and
Community Research, Goldsmiths, University of London, available at
http://inclusionthroughmedia.org/ITM%20Evaluation/BTNG_Report.pdf (accessed 4 June 2013).