YETI - Youth Empowered Towards Independence

Youth Empowered Towards Independence (YETI) is a community based organisation that works with vulnerable young people. YETI aims to provide a supportive, empowering, responsive and healing environment to meet the needs of vulnerable young people through the provision of holistic services that foster social, emotional, spiritual and physical well-being. It’s a safe, free and friendly space for youn

g people aged from 12 to 25. Two new programs along with two new faces have been incorporated into YETI’s Just North capacity building initiative. Just North funded by Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC) is a capacity building program that addresses Volatile Substance Misuse (VSM) or sniffing, through supply reduction and building the capacity of workers across Far North Queensland that work with at risk and vulnerable young people ( Just North can be helpful in many and various ways). The Just North faces are Tonya Fuschtei, Mandy Welfare, Wendy Sammons and Maria Mabo. RADIO (Remote Alcohol and Drug Intervention and Outcomes) and SUN (Schools Up North) are both North Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) funded programs and are a natural extension of YETI’s work to be helpful and supportive of workers/services across the Cape and Torres region. RADIO is a partnership between YETI and a number of agencies in the Cape. Currently Northern Peninsula Area – Family and Community Services, Cooktown District Community Centre and Weipa Community Care have employed Youth Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) workers to deliver AOD counselling and treatment in their communities. A fourth AOD worker will commence in the Torres region in 2018. Cathy Lee coordinates RADIO and is a senior AOD Clinician based at YETI in Cairns, Cathy builds capacity and provides support to RADIO workers. SUN is working closely with two schools in the Cape and Torres Strait region and is establishing a model that will build the capacity of secondary teachers around; mental health knowledge and understanding, the ability to make connections with appropriate and relevant services related to mental health and social and emotional wellbeing, as well as building individual resilience. SUN aims to strengthen the confidence and capacity of secondary school staff to maintain emotionally vulnerable young people within the school system. Helen is linking SUN with research that will contribute to the evidence base to inform further development of mental health capacity building in secondary schools in the Cape and Torres region.