YACSA

23/06/2026

Last week YACSA’s Senior Project Officer, Doug, visited the transformed Youth Inc. campus for the ‘Festival of the Unexpected’.

The festival showcased installations, performances and creative projects imagined, designed and built by young people, highlighting their creativity, innovation and unique perspectives.

The festival was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when young people are trusted, supported and empowered to create their own futures.

Youth Inc. is an alternative school for 17–24-year-olds, where young people shape their individual learning journeys while working toward academic accreditations.

Their term three enrolments are open now – learn more via Youth Inc. 👉 www.youthinc.sa.edu.au

ID (1): Doug and Young Inc.’s Head of Marketing, Patrick, smile at the camera. (2): Three photos are in rectangles with rounded corners. The largest is an installation of a bright blue and yellow snake, with bright green text underneath. The two are smaller sit along the right of the largest, a miniature tree scape created inside a school locker, and a pink, red and orange Youth Inc banner below.

23/06/2026

Code Blue Response ❄️ Multiple regions

Due to extremely low overnight temperatures forecast, a Code Blue response for people sleeping rough is active in multiple regions from Tuesday 23 June 2026 to Friday 26 June 2026 inclusive.

Call Homeless Connect SA on 1800 003 308 (24 hours, 7 days) to find out what additional support may be available.

For more information, visit https://sa.gov.au/homelessness-support

18/06/2026

New look – same commitment to young South Australians.

We've launched a refreshed website designed to make it easier to find information, access resources, learn about our work and stay connected with the youth sector.

We encourage you to take a look around and let us know what you think!

🌐 www.yacsa.com.au

ID: Top of new website homepage sits above a block reading ‘our website is now live’, and a search bar with the site url. There’s a YACSA logo angled in the bottom left corner.

17/06/2026

Designed for ages 15-25 our FREE Life Ready: Real Skills for Real Life program is a series of workshops that empowers young people with the practical, hands-on skills needed to live independently, navigate adulthood with confidence, and thrive in the real world.

Young adults can take part in a series of interactive workshops covering essential life skills, including:

🪵 Built by You: Woodworking Basics
🫑 Nourish to Flourish: Eat Well, Live Well
♻️ Everyday Sustainability: Upcycling Workshop
🧑🏻‍🤝‍🧑🏽Youth Volunteering 101
💲Money Mindset & Goal Setting
💼 First Job & Employment Essentials
🛠️Y Café: Repair It!
🧵 Mend It: Sewing Basics

With workshops from 5 July until 21 November 2026, there's something for everyone. For more information or to book your spot visit: https://www.cityofpae.sa.gov.au/get-involved/young-people

17/06/2026

At the beginning of the week our Senior Project Officer, Doug attended the City of Onkaparinga’s Children and Young People Wellbeing Roundtable.

He joined community members, educators, local services, council and other stakeholders, coming together to explore wellbeing data for 0–18-year-olds and identify practical actions that could deliver meaningful local impact.

The challenges young South Australians are facing are complex and interconnected, and addressing them requires coordinated action across communities, services and systems.

Thank you to the City of Onkaparinga for hosting this important discussion, and to all involved for your commitment to improving outcomes for young people. We look forward to continuing the conversation and working together to create positive change.

📸: Nat Cook MP

Onkaparinga Youth

ID: A room full of people sitting around tables looking toward the front, bright orange wall. At the front a projector screen reads, ‘Children and Young People Wellbeing Round Table’.

16/06/2026

The state budget shapes the services, opportunities and systems that impact young people across South Australia.

YACSA’s 2026–27 Budget Analysis takes a closer look at what has been funded, what progress has been made, and where further action is needed to address the challenges facing young people and the sector that supports them.

Read the full analysis 👉 www.yacsa.com.au/budget-analysis

ID: Dark green tile with white and bright green text. There are pink circles scattered around the outside.

16/06/2026

09/06/2026

Throughout June, the YACSA team are out and about on a regional tour, connecting in with communities across South Australia.

Last week YACSA CEO, Natalie Matulick and Senior Project Officer, Doug Werchon headed to the Riverland.

The Riverland has people who know their communities deeply and show up creatively and passionately, despite real constraints – and we had the opportunity to hear from schools, health services, local councils and community organisations supporting young people.

Key themes we heard over and over:

💰 Funding constraints, particularly short-term grants that mean young people don't trust services are steady and consistent.
🎓 Difficulty attracting skilled professionals to the area, affecting the provision of youth services.
🚌 Impacts of transport barriers on the equity of accessing services and opportunities.
🏞️ Need for third spaces where young people can come together to connect.
👋 Challenges keeping young people in the Riverland once they complete their schooling.

Thanks to those who gave us their time during our trip, we look forward to continuing the conversations and work.

headspace Berri FocusOne Health Ramble Arts Our Town Berri Raise Foundation Renmark Paringa Council Berri Barmera Council District Council of Loxton Waikerie Riverland Secondary Schools Alliance SA Recreation and Sport

ID: (1) Natalie and Doug smile at the camera in front of a Berri Regional Secondary College sign. A large tree with orange and brown leaves is visible over the sign. (2) Tile is split into two landscape photos of Natalie and Doug after meetings on the Riverland regional tour. They are pictured after meetings with Renmark Paringa Council and Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing at Renmark Library (top image) and Raise Mentoring, Our Town Berri, Berri Barmera Council, Loxton Waikerie Council and Ramble Arts (bottom image).

05/06/2026

The 2026–27 SA State Budget was handed down yesterday – and as the peak body for young people and the youth sector in South Australia, we've gone through it so you don't have to.

There are genuine wins worth acknowledging.

📚 Free public education from 2027.
🛠️ Three new tech colleges at Murray Bridge, Marden and Gawler.
🧠 Specialist mental health units at three major hospitals.
⚖️ The Young Workers Legal Service restored.
🚌 A temporary freeze on metro public transport fares.
💰 Indexation adjustment for funded not for profit organisations.

These are real investments that will make a difference to young South Australians.

But we need to be honest: young people were largely an afterthought in this budget.

Despite rising youth homelessness, declining wellbeing, growing isolation and mounting cost-of-living pressure, targeted and holistic support for young people remains inadequate. Youth justice funding continues to focus on incarceration with no early intervention or preventative supports.

The youth sector is under strain, demand is growing, and funding insecurity is real.

YACSA welcomes what's here – and will keep advocating loudly for what's missing.

Here’s a snapshot of what the budget included 👇

ID: Dark green tiles have white text and bright green highlights. There are pink circles around the outsides in different places on each.

03/06/2026

⏰ ⏰ Time is running out to apply to join the YACSA team!

We are recruiting for a Youth Participation Intern to support a project focused on strengthening youth participation across the state, in partnership with the Commissioner for Children and Young People SA.

In this role, you’ll consult with young people, research good participation practices and support the development of practical resources for the sector.

If you’re passionate about youth voice, collaboration and systems change, we’d love to hear from you.

‼️Applications close Monday 8 June at 5pm.

Apply or find out more via our website👉 yacsa.com.au/join-the-team

ID: On a grey overlay over most of the image, a large green heading reads ‘We’re hiring,’ with smaller black body text underneath. In the photo behind part of a YACSA logo is visible on the back of a black tshirt.