Marrickville Youth Resource Centre

Strengthening Youth – Strengthening Community

STRATEGIC PLAN

2014 – 2016

This plan was prepared by the Board of Directors and the staff of MYRC to best reflect the goals and aims of the programs we provide for young people in the greater Marrickville Local Government Area. It is also a tool to aid the results based accountability we must be guided by for the future viability and success of this vital organisation.

Our focus is young people; our goal is to empower through education.

History

Marrickville Youth Resource Centre was established in 1985. With a small grant of $25,500 from the then Department of Youth and Community Services, the recruitment of a highly motivated community based management committee and the employment of two dedicated part-time workers; the foundations for the development of MYRC were laid.

The Marrickville Youth Resource Centre has a proud history of providing services and support to the young people of the greater Marrickville Local Government Area. Over the years there have been many dedicated staff and volunteers working to bring a sense of place and purpose to the lives of many of our disenfranchised and disengaged youth. There have been fabulous success stories as well as challenges in the face of the changing social, political and economic landscape. Sourcing avenues for funding as well as maintaining current funding has been one of the key challenges. The support of the Marrickville Council, the NSW Department of Education and Communities and the Department of Family and Community Services has been invaluable in the provision of a range of programs and caseworker support. The Centre now seeks to be a critical voice in youth affairs providing sustainable, pertinent and relevant services to young people that are reflective of local needs.

Context

MYRC needs to ensure that all members of the organisation are working towards the same goals; assessing and adjusting the organisation’s direction in response to the changing environment. It is striving to have a disciplined approach to making the fundamental decisions that will shape and guide the best use of resources to achieve the best possible outcomes. We are challenged by a changing social, political and economic environment as well as changing community perceptions and expectations. Because MYRC cannot be or achieve everything in its ambition to be a dynamic and responsive service achieving organisational success, strategic decisions will have to be made so that a depth of quality of service becomes the norm.

Vision

The Vision of MYRC is to be a sustainable, relevant organisation that, through vibrant and meaningful engagement strengthens our youth and our community in such a way that recognises their diversity and potential.

Strengthening Youth – Strengthening Community

Mission

Our mission is to be the voice of youth in the greater Marrickville Local Government Area.

Driving our strategic direction, we need to mirror the priority areas in the Regional Youth Strategies (NSW Office of Communities)by providing programs that increase access and understanding through:

  1. Providing exposure to education and training opportunities leading to employment preparation
  2. Accessing wellbeing and mental health services
  3. Encouraging cultural identity and seeing value in diversity through activities and programs that celebrate those differences
  4. Increasing community participation and engagement
  5. Improving community partnerships and highlighting the value of young people’s peer networks and the role they play in responding to needs.

The Centre seeks to be a critical voice in youth affairs providing sustainable, pertinent and relevant services to young people that are reflective of local needs

Values

MYRC is focused on providing support services in a supportive environment that reflects that we value:

  1. The dignity and intrinsic worth of all people regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, belief or other difference
  2. The diversity of people, communities and nations through integrity and respect
  3. Equality of opportunity and justice for all people through adherence to the principles of Social Justice and Human Rights
  4. Being a community based organisation, promoting healthy communities based on relationships between people which are characterised by compassion, care, understanding and mutual respect.
  5. Education and empowerment through the acceptance of personal responsibility; embracing learning and change
  6. Sustainable programming based on evidenced data and effective resourcing

Critical Obstacles

The Board of Directors and the staff of MYRC need to be cognisant of the changing political landscape which in turn impinges on the ways in which we access funding and source realistic and inclusive opportunities.

A thorough understanding of our core purpose and place within the community needs to be understood and challenged so that the perceptions of the community accurately reflect our purpose and our achievements

MYRC needs to build the capacity of its venue, its staff and the young people for whom it exists.

We need to develop a unique profile, market that profile and undertake to do less far better. Our programs need to be rich and diverse, but mostly they need to be engaging and vibrant so that the staff are fulfilling stated needs and achieving positive outcomes for the young people. Programming decisions need to be evidence based which in turn inform our partners and our funding bodies.

Long term Goals

  1. Become the Voice of Youth
  2. Increase and improve our community profile
  3. Increase divergent sources of funding
  4. Increase the capacity of the Director and the staff through effective management and professional development
  5. Develop programs that are rich in creativity, relevance and are focused on the divergent needs of the young people
  6. Provide access and opportunities that focus on independence, education and employment

Objectives and Short term Goals

  1. Develop a framework of results based accountability
  2. Developing structures to increase capacity of service
  3. Embracing our community‘s strengths through the professional marketing of our services and programs

First Year:

  1. Develop a framework of results based accountability
  1. What works
  2. What doesn’t
  3. What skills are required to improve capacity and outcomes
  4. How do we improve our community partnerships
  5. Continue to review and update our Policies and Procedures
  6. Commence major improvements of data collection (base), financial reporting and web site

Second Year:

  1. Developing structures to increase capacity of service
  1. Continue and refine the appraisal processes of the Board, Director and Staff
  2. Program accountability processes to include program proposals, program structure and content and program review processes that clearly identify outcomes and reflect the voice of the young people
  3. Further develop and refine data collection processes that will inform budget decisions and inform funding applications and acquittals
  4. Continue information updates and IT based access to the availability of programs and services
  5. Continue reviewing and updating our Policies and Procedures

Third Year:

  1. Embracing our community‘s strengths through the professional marketing of our services and programs
  1. Establish our Brand
  2. Identify our partners and utilise data to build a solid financial base
  3. Use the data base to distribute marketing materials
  4. Develop a Blog and utilise social media
  5. Ensure continuity and consistency of language across all mediums
  6. Investigate how social enterprise can be a part of our financial and programing future

During the duration of this Plan our programs will be assessed and reviewed to ensure they are relevant, engaging and focused on the needs of the young people.

At the beginning of each financial year and as part of the Budget process, an Annual Operational Plan will be developed by the Director and approved by the Board to map out a step-by-step process by which these elements can be realistically achieved.

This plan will be disseminated amongst the Board and the staff to be seen as a living document that is constantly evolving so that it continues to reflect the ever-changing landscape and the needs of the young people.

Review

This Strategic Plan:

  1. Will be disseminated amongst the Board and staff
  2. Will be made available on the (new) MYRC website
  3. Be referred to and influence the content of the Annual Report
  4. Be referred to in any Policy, Programming and Budgetary documents where applicable:
  1. It is expected that the Director will use this document to formulate each Annual Operation Plan and Budget for the duration of this Plan.
  2. It is also expected that the Director will monitor (record) progress so that it in turn drives the formulation of the next Strategic Plan.
  1. Be referred to in the Appraisal process
  2. Drive financial, human resources and programming decisions

MYRC BOARD MEMBERS 2014

Catherine Baker – President

Don Smith – Secretary/Treasurer

Angela Lewis

Rosie Kempe

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MYRC STRATEGIC PLAN 2014 – 2016

August 1, 2014