MEET NIC LANGSWORTH
Nic is one of Positive’s Youth newest volunteers. Nic is an Arts/Law student at the Australian National University in his third year. Nic grew up in Sydney and now lives in Canberra, where he is engaged with the Positive Youth community through the Law Reform and Social Justice program. Undertaking an Arts major in English and a minor in Political Science, Nic is keenly interested in academic research and policy development surrounding at-risk young people. Nic’s experience includes a student support leadership role with Amnesty International, as well as being involved for a number of years with fundraising for the Cancer Council Australia, and also led a number of students on an Outward Bound programme through his school in 2016 and 2017. These volunteering roles and social justice programs have given Nic insight into the mental health struggles faced by young people of different backgrounds. His research at Positive Youth delves into issues surrounding domestic abuse and family violence, addiction and welfare benefit stigmas. Nic tells us that welfare stigma in particular ‘lacks critical attention in the mainstream media’. Nic has a keen interest in the development and assistance of young people through positive rehabilitation and community integration, and is exploring this interest at Positive Youth. ‘I am excited to have this opportunity to contribute to the broader conversation about the impact of structural challenges on justice-involved young people’, Nic said.
OUR BELIEFS
At Positive Youth we believe in identifying and prioritising young peoples’ strengths. We are not constrained by interventions that aim to exclusively address risk, such as interventions that aim to mitigate or prevent alcohol and other drug use, suicide, antisocial behaviour, violence and school dropout. Rather, we believe in identifying young peoples’ individual attributes, skills and competencies, and prioritising them. Because community is where young people spend time with family, come together with friends, attend school, participate in the workforce, join groups and programs, and practice their culture, we also believe that community is vital to helping young people make deep and lasting personal change. Finally, recognising that young people are “co-producers” of their development, at Positive Youth we support young people to participate in decisions that affect them and contribute to the public discourse with the aim of influencing policy.
OUR MISSION
Positive Youth works with justice or near-justice involved young people aged 12-25 to help them identify and draw on their strengths to make deep and lasting personal changes that embolden them to modify – or even revolutionise – behaviours that cause harm, thus enabling them to contribute in prosocial ways to the social, economic and cultural life of their communities.
GET INVOLVED
Positive Youth encourages you to get involved and help us achieve our vision. All young people have the capacity to achieve personal change through discovery of their strengths and connection to their community. Get in touch to find out how you can get involved with Positive Youth.
OUR SUPPORTERS
