Youth Policy, Civics and Culture

Unit code: AEB3805 | Study level: Undergraduate
12
(Generally, 1 credit = 10 hours of classes and independent study.)
Footscray Park
Online Real Time
Online Self-Paced
Werribee
N/A
Overview
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Overview

This unit aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to work constructively within the policy and practice context of organisations serving young people. It looks specifically at the role of local government as an important player in shaping local communities and in supporting and connecting federal, state and community run services and activities within the community. As the third level of government, local government is often poorly understood and its impact on communities and their young people greatly underestimated. This unit allows students to gain insights into the council's role as a key planner for local, natural and built environments and the community, and a provider of numerous essential services, many of which play important roles in the lives of young people who live, go to school or recreate in that municipality. This unit seeks to provide an understanding of these impacts, their particular significance for young people, and how policy might shape them. The unit assessments also offer opportunities for students to demonstrate growing capabilities in becoming confident creative lifelong learners who can use their inter-cultural understanding of themselves and others to critically evaluate policies that enable or disable young people’s civic and human rights. As such, students learn to become politically engaged and ethical citizens who are inter-culturally aware and respectful to the diversity of their local communities and understand the intricacies of balancing between individual and public good.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of local government in Victoria: its functions, structure and operation including the intricate balance between the needs of the individual and public good;
  2. Critically review local government's relationship with community and other levels of government;
  3. Articulate an understanding of local governments' impacts, interactions and roles with young people; and
  4. Collaboratively conceptualise the role of local government youth services; and the processes and systems used for youth policy and planning at local government level.

Assessment

For Melbourne campuses

In addition to the graded assessments, students must complete a hurdle task which comprises attendance at a local council meeting and then a report back to peers in class. All assessments must be completed to pass the unit.

Assessment type: Test
|
Grade: 20%
An Online Test on key local government processes and the business of Youth Services
Assessment type: Essay
|
Grade: 50%
Analysis of a local government youth policy and its effectiveness to consult, engage and empower young people.
Assessment type: Presentation
|
Grade: 30%
Group critical evaluation of a Local Government's approach to service delivery and participation of young people in governance.

Required reading

Students will be provided with a reading list via VU Collaborate.

As part of a course

This unit is studied as part of the following course(s):

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