Stories of CCYP
Be a buddy not a bully
01/08/2018
‘Be a buddy not a bully’ was the idea for an art project by a group of year four and five students from Elizabeth Grove Primary School. The group of 45 children have been working with Youth Development Officer Georgina Pearce from Playford Council on a project that involved making a mural for their school. They enlisted local artist Robin Tatlow-Lord who worked with the students over four sessions to draw up what they thought the mural should look like and then paint it onto the wall.
Capturing a piece of time at Elizabeth South Primary
16/05/2018
Children from Elizabeth South Primary School marked a moment in history when they buried a time capsule at their school grounds as part of a project for the SA History Festival. The time capsule project ‘Elizabeth South: From their Mouth’ contains art work from Elizabeth South Primary School children and a link to a video featuring past and present students of Elizabeth’s first school. The digital time capsule was buried after a special screening of the film and will be opened up again in 2068.
The Adelaide Set - saying ‘good on ya’ to these young go-getters
15/06/2018
There are many young people who are out there doing amazing things – running businesses, helping others, creating and spreading positivity. I come across them a lot and I think we should celebrate them more and showcase what they are doing for our state. For the first in this series, I want to introduce the ‘Adelaide Set’ who came into our office last month for a chat.
Report from my Hopes and Dreams Regional Tour – The Riverland
15/03/2018
I recently had the pleasure to meet this delightful group of young Girl Guides at their Monday night meeting in Barmera in the Riverland when I was there on the first leg of my Regional Tour of South Australia. I’m asking children and young people to tell me about their hopes and dreams and finding out what they need to do to realise those dreams.
“The Power of Music”
Not only is Lonely Planet telling the world about the music scene in Adelaide but our children and young people also know the power of music!
“I myself am a very musical person, I play most instruments, I play drums when mad or play guitar when I need to calm down as it is a calming thing to do”
It has been said that music has the power to make you happier, enhance performance, lower stress and improve your health.
From the conversations I have heard from children and young people across the state this ability has not changed. The positive impact and benefits that music has on their lives is alive and well and includes the joy of “creating music” and “mixing music” playing and listening to music alone and with friends. We heard that music is an escape, a way to improve your mood and a means of expression.
Young people also talked about the cultural dimensions of music, describing it as a way to stay connected to their history, family and country and the importance of festivals and live music in the Australian culture.
Whatever the reason, the message is clear Music is Powerful!
Previous Entries
“Adulty Things”
During the Listening Tour we heard a lot about the importance of learning how to do the day to day activities that you are responsible for once you become an adult. One 17 year old told us that schools should “run programs that teach young people...
National Youth Arts Summit
Helen Connolly presenting her opening keynote address at the National Youth Summit Future Proofing Arts + Culture at Carclew House. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izduAipS5dA
Listening Tour Reflections
Listening Tour: Reflections is the first report released by the Commissioner of Children and Young People. It is the Commissioners reflections of what was said after speaking to over 1,000 South Australian children and young people. It summarises...
2018 SA – Listening to the Hopes and Dreams of Regional Kids
Hope is Huge! This is what the scientific research done by Positive Psychology experts tells us. But what is it, the definition of hope is, put simply, “to look on the future positively, to see opportunity in challenges (rather than challenges in...
“Being Healthy”
Being Healthy is a phrase we, as adults use all the time, there are likely to be many different ideas about what this means. Being Healthy can refer to our bodies, our minds and our sense of wellbeing. We know, there are some health concerns that...
ABC announces four outstanding Heywire Winners from South Australia
Four young people from South Australia have won the highly sought-after prize of having their stories published by the ABC. Ranim Alkharabeh from Mount Gambier, Kane Goldsworthy from Port Neill, Natasha Leedham from Perponda, and Krystin Mance from...
Commissioner signs Family Matters Statement of Commitment for Aboriginal children and young people
Earlier this month, I met with Leata Clarke, SA Family Matters Campaign Convenor and Rob Martin, Chief Executive Officer at Child and Family Focus SA to show my support and commitment towards decreasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait...
The story so far
Over past few months, I have travelled the length and breadth of South Australia, with the best part of my role being the engaging and enlightening conversations with so many children and young people whom I've met. I started my 'Listening tour' in...
Who says libraries aren’t cool?
Certainly not the children of Mount Gambier, they rate their local library as one of the best places to go in town! Helen, the Commissioner for Children and Young People, launched her Listening Tour in Mount Gambier in June and by spending some...
Cost-of-Living Reality Check
Are 6-year-olds really worried about the cost of living or are they just reflecting what those around them are concerned about? Although it's difficult to be sure, what was evident throughout the Commissioner’s Listening Tour was that a lot of...
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Other stories
The story so farOver past few months, I have travelled the length and …
Young leaders of SA participating in a consultation with the Commissioner during her Listening Tour…
Lobethal Community KindergartenHelen spent the afternoon at Bush Kindy as part of her …
Commissioner signs Family Matters Statement of Commitment for Aboriginal children and young peopleEarlier this month, I met with Leata Clarke, SA Family …