What we do

Contact ACYS

ACYS provides support youth organisations, youth workers, youth researchers and young people themselves, as well as policymakers, researchers and practitioners in other sectors working with youth.

The clearinghouse focuses on information about early adolescence to the early adult years (12 to 25 years).

ACYS's mission is to contribute to the wellbeing of young people by providing comprehensive and up-to-date information about key issues and practices in the youth field for access by the community.

ACYS achieves its mission by providing information on the complex and wide-ranging issues that affect young people today, and by disseminating news of research and developments on best-practice in the youth field, encouraging networking, discussions and collaboration. 

Objectives

• to house and provide access to a range of youth sector information, including research, news, programs and initiatives, and sector contacts details;
• to provide critical evaluation, synthesis, analysis and filtering of relevant information about young people, particularly in relation to research;
• to provide up-to-date information on current practice initiatives;
• to raise awareness of youth issues, facilitate research on young people and youth issues;
• to improve communication throughout the youth sector by facilitating access to information; and,
• to support the development of a professional youth sector that provides effective support to young people.

Products and services

• the journal, Youth Studies Australia, an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal, issued quarterly to subscribers in both hard copy and online format;
• the newsletter, Youth Field Xpress, issued monthly via email and online free of charge
  
• books and other publications on contemporary youth issues;
• the ACYS website of resources about youth studies (www.acys.info)
• help desk services, for those looking for more information about the youth sector or specific details about a particular issue

For more information about what ACYS has been doing, check out the Media Releases.

The ACYS team

Rob White

ACYS Director and ACYS Executive Committee member
Rob is Chair of Sociology and Director of the Criminology Research Unit at the University of Tasmania, School of Sociology and Social Work. He is an internationally respected scholar in the fields of youth studies, sociology and criminology. Among his books are:Youth & society; Youth subcultures; No space of their own; Juvenile justice; Crime & criminology; Crime & social control; Crime & society; Controversies in environmental sociology; Crime prevention; and Crimes against nature. He has extensive practical experience in working with youth and community workers, police services, teachers, drug and alcohol workers, government policymakers and academic researchers.

Jeremy Prichard

ACYS Deputy Director and ACYS Executive Committee member
Jeremy is a lecturer in criminal law and criminology at the Law Faculty, University of Tasmania. At the Australian Institute of Criminology, he managed the first national study of young people in detention centres. Jeremy's PhD was on restorative justice and he has written internationally recognised pieces on youth diversion; youth sentencing patterns; youth crime and substance use; and the parents of young offenders. In central and frontline government agencies he developed policy regarding child protection and Indigenous communities. Jeremy maintains strong collaborative relationships with youth justice practitioners, policymakers and academics across Australia. He is a member of the Sentencing Advisory Council for the Tasmanian Attorney-General.

J-F

ACYS Deputy Director and ACYS Executive Committee member
J-F is a lecturer in human development at the Faculty of Education, University of Tasmania. As part of his academic pathway and doctoral research, he has worked in medium- and maximum-security prisons, universities, schools and detention facilities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, delivering various psychiatric, educational, cognitive and life programs. In doing this, Dr J-F has worked closely with high-risk inmates often addressing complex psychiatric behaviours related to non-compliance. Dr J-F’s main research interests include high-risk students, prisoner reintegration, mental health, psychopathology and deviancy. Currently, he is developing a multi-faceted structured support for high-risk serial offenders and a targeted support program for high-risk students within a school context.

Herb Seewang

ACYS Manager and ACYS Executive Committee member
Herb has over 20 years' experience working with industry in business development with the Tasmanian Department of Economic Development across a range of small business, market development, investment attraction and infrastructure roles. He has a BA in Business from Minnesota State University Mankato. He worked in Asia, North America and Europe before migrating to Australia. Herb has been a volunteer business mentor for the business and not-for-profit sectors for the past six years. Herb has been a volunteer business mentor for over six years as well as being a current Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Scheme volunteer working with incoming refugee migrant families.

Peter Thompson

ACYS Executive Committee member and Business Manager for the Faculty of Education, University of Tasmania
Peter provides executive, financial, human resource and University policy and procedural advice to the ACYS Executive and staff.

Sue Headley

Editor/Production Manager, Youth Studies Australia and ACYS Production Manager
Sue has a BA (Sociology), BA (Hons) (Sociology) and BSc (Plant Science) from the University of Tasmania. She has been with ACYS since 1996. In addition to editing YSA, Sue coordinates the editorial production of ACYS books, which include Outrageous! Moral panics in Australia, published in 2007, and Sounds of then, sounds of now: Popular music in Australia, published in 2008. She is a member of the Society of Editors (Tasmania) Inc.

Ann Davie

ACYS Information/Website Manager
Ann is responsible for development and management of the ACYS website, along with other online resources and services. She has over 20 years' experience in software development and publishing. Ann has a degree in French Literature and has been involved in several community and volunteer groups.

Kate Gross

Deputy Editor, Youth Studies Australia
Kate has a BA (Political Science and Journalism), a BA (Hons) (Political Science) and a BTeach (Secondary) from the University of Tasmania. She has been with ACYS since 2006. Kate’s work at ACYS involves assiting with the editing of YSA,YFX and ACYS books, as well as contributing to YFX and the ‘Abstracts’ column of YSA. She is a member of the Society of Editors (Tasmania) Inc. 

Caroline Mordaunt

ACYS Deputy Editor
Caroline has a BA (Hons) (English) from King’s College London. She is editor of Youth Field Xpress, assists with writing the ‘Abstracts’ column for Youth Studies Australia and carries out other editorial work for ACYS. Caroline has previously worked for publishers and magazines in London, and as a freelance editor working for clients in Australia and overseas. She is an IPEd Accredited Editor and a member of the Society of Editors (Tasmania) Inc. 

Peta Owen

Designer and Desktop Publisher
Peta joined ACYS in 2011 and is responsible for graphic design and typesetting of all ACYS products as well as providing graphic design services for the University of Tasmania and external clients. Peta has a BA in Fine Arts (Graphic Design) from the UTAS Tasmanian School of Art and has been an active council member of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) since 2005.

Sue Dilley

ACYS Subscriptions and Sales Manager
Sue looks after the YSA subscription databases and sales of ACYS books. Sue returned to work at ACYS in July 2008 and brings many skills to her role, including her experience at ACYS in 2002, working with the Australian Youth Facts and Stats website at the time of its inception. Sue has a degree in Asian studies and an extensive administration experience in the public and community sectors. 

Barbara MacCana

Copyright Officer
Barbara has a background as a librarian, and provides copyright management services to the Clearinghouse. She also contributes to Youth Filed Express, and assists with writing abstracts for Youth Studies Australia.

Naomi Marsh

Research Officer 
Naomi joined the ACYS team in late 2011. She is currently working on the Face the Facts Project, compiling profiles on emerging youth issues. Naomi studied a BA at the University of Tasmania and is currently completing Honours in Sociology. She also works as a Project Officer at the Youth Network of Tasmania, Tasmania’s non-government peak organisation for the youth sector and young people. 

ACYS is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and operates at the University of Tasmania under the direction of Prof. Rob White, School of Sociology and Social Work.