Early issues of YFX focused on many of the same issues we are facing today, but the world of work and the transition to work has become much harder for young people in the past 20 years. Currently the youth sector is waiting to see how the Government’s new Youth Employment Strategy, which replaces previous schemes and is designed to get young jobseekers into meaningful employment, will pan out. In this issue of YFX we have an example of a Melbourne entrepreneur who has taken the issue into his own hands and has set up an organisation called Fingerprint Me, which works locally to assist young people struggling to get into a job (see ‘Transition and work’). Such locally based schemes that are tailored to local conditions have huge potential. The youth employment area is on the cusp of big changes – with Spanish youth advocates calling for the creation of a UN Youth Employment Decade (see ‘Transition and work’) – and we are sorry that we won’t be here to cover them for you. The ACOSS and Brotherhood of St Laurence websites are both great ways to stay on top of what’s happening in the youth employment space here in Australia.

Once again, we have a wide selection of stories for you this month that prove how much energy, enthusiasm and raw talent exists in the youth sector. Researchers are constantly investigating new and neglected youth issues. This month we feature a report about the difficulties faced by young people who have left care situations who want to go on to university study (see ‘Transition and work’) and another that looks at education barriers for young people with ongoing health problems ( see ‘Wellbeing’). With recent advances in medical care, many more young people are surviving debilitating diseases and want to focus on achieving a good education.

Kate Gross has written an illuminating piece about ACYS and its achievements for The Sector this month. Please be sure to read this and hear what some of our past and present staff have to say about their invaluable work with us.

Huge thanks go to everyone who has contributed to this newsletter over the years – including of course its founder Anne Hugo. Kate Gross has been instrumental in its creation for many years, and more recently Sue Dilley has contributed great stories. And thanks also to those at ACYS who have been the technical and design wizards behind YFX including Ann Davie and Peta Owen. Without them it would never have reached you, the readers.

As Ann Davie says in her contribution to The Sector this month, it is the sense of community in the youth sector that we feel will be lost with the demise of ACYS and its newsletter YFX. Working at ACYS I have felt strongly that a sense of connectedness was needed by the youth sector, and we feel that YFX contributed to that. We hope that there is someone out there who might take up the baton in the future.

It has been a huge pleasure and a privilege working on this newsletter; I knew little about the sector when I began at ACYS in 2009 but I have been blown away by the dedication and enthusiasm of so many in the sector and the wide range of disciplines it encompasses. Their comments and compliments over the years have been a welcome boost for us here in the ACYS offices, but particularly so in the past few weeks as we have prepared to wind down ACYS operations. Some of the YFX highlights of the past five and half years have been seeing the vast range of youth-led initiatives and programs that have eased the path for young people, and the sense of openness that now exists for young people to talk about and seek help for all sorts of problems and issues that were previously ignored or had stigma attached to them, particularly mental health and sexuality issues. YFX’s 18th birthday in late 2013 was another highlight.

Just a note on our archive of resources and the books published by ACYS: YFX subscribers will be sent an email towards the end of July about the arrangements that have been finalised for ways to access the free archive of ACYS youth resources, including past issues of YSA and YFX, and how to purchase ACYS books.

Once again, happy reading and work well with your young people.

Violence against young women in Australia

Our Face the Facts briefing entitled Violence against young women in Australia was launched earlier this month. This briefing explores how violence against young Australian women affects victims, perpetrators and bystanders aged 12 to 25 in contexts other than the family home.

With analysis of international evidence and good practice, featuring case studies and links to further resources, including podcasts, the Violence against young women in Australia briefing demonstrates how we can all be ‘agents of change’.  We can all be partners in prevention with the youth sector, schools, workplaces, sporting bodies, families, the media, universities and countless other institutions. Only by integrating efforts aimed at individuals, relationships, organisations, communities and society will it be possible to achieve the kind of broad, deep, networked approach required to improve the safety of young women in Australia.

To see and hear more about this great resource, see Face the Facts: Violence against young women in Australia on the ACYS website.

Home ownership and young Australians

Housing affordability is a hot topic of discussion, particularly in capital cities, and it's an issue the current government sees as being particularly important to young Australians. Despite soaring housing costs, Australia has the highest rates of home ownership in the world, and young Australians continue to rate owning their own home as a key aspiration. However, there are changes to the way Australians, and in particular young people, decide whether to become home owners. The latest – and last – Face the Facts briefing, Home ownership and young Australians, looks at the factors that influence young people's views on whether to purchase a home.

In the past, the decision to become a home owner was based primarily on significant life events, such as marriage or having children. These life events continue to have some influence on decisions to 'upsize' or 'downsize' the family home. However, current research shows that other factors now play a bigger role in decision making. Young people's employment status is a key consideration. Young people continue to experience significant levels of unemployment and underemployment. Compounded with increased levels of education debt and household debt, instability of employment has had a profound effect on young people's ability to enter the housing market. Other issues that affect young people include housing affordability stress, and the mismatch between the availability of jobs and affordable housing stock.

The great Australian dream for many young Australians will continue to include owning their own home. How and when young people enter the housing market will fluctuate along with youth employment conditions and changing attitudes towards home ownership.

Our final Face the Facts briefing, Home ownership and young Australians, which explores all these issues, will be available shortly from the ACYS website