5 easy ways to become broke (and stay broke)

– a rookie’s guide

Literally spending your life away is definitely no fun. Debt can be crushing in more ways than one. But, if you want to go broke and stay broke, this is your ultimate How To guide.

1. Get a credit card (or two) and buy what you can’t afford

The quickest and easiest way to get in over your head is to get a credit card. Credit cards are like quicksand. Avoid that sinking feeling – and a lifetime of debt – by going for a debit card, rather than a credit Card. That way you’re only spending your own money, not the bank’s, and you won’t pay any interest.

Remember, buy only what you can afford to pay for. If you don’t have the cash in the bank or in your wallet to buy it, you can’t afford it.

2. Get sucked in by ‘Shop Now Pay Later’ and ‘Unbeatable!’ loans

Big business is seriously onto the fact that we struggle these days to wait for what we want. Instant gratification is promoted as the new normal, as is living on credit. When you sign on the dotted line for a cheap car loan or shop with Afterpay, however, you’re only delaying the inevitable. You have to pay that money back eventually, usually with lots of fees and interest, especially if you miss any repayments.

Saving up for what you want is always better in the long run. You’ll only pay the true cost of the item and you won’t be racking up more and more debt. Future you thanks you for your self-control.

3. Treat yourself, with a Cash Advance

If you’ve already got a credit card (and haven’t cut it up yet, based on the sage advice given in point 1), whatever you do, don’t use it for drawing cash out at the atm. Banks won’t often explain this, but as soon as you do that, you have to pay it back with interest. Lots of interest.

Are you seeing a pattern yet? Getting out of BrokeTown comes down to living within your means; making sure that what goes out isn’t more than what comes in.

4. Ignore boring bank statements and bills

No good can come from avoiding your mail and letting payments slide. Often this avoidance happens, not because we don’t want to pay our bills, but because we’re too overwhelmed and fatigued by the thought of mounting debt.

If you need help ripping off the Band-Aid and sorting out your budget and bills, there’s plenty of free financial counselling services out there for you. We’ve got some links below, but don’t jump ahead just yet – check out Number 5!

5. Keep up with the Joneses

We get it. When you’re in your teens and early 20s, material things matter. But you know what? They actually don’t. It’s a total rookie error to think that clothes, cars and gadgets make you special. You’re gold all on your own. This is a mindset shift that HAS to happen if you want to live a more content life.

Forget about matching what your friends or those around you spend money on. Run your own race. And make sure you take care of your needs before your wants.

Every time you’re about to spend money on something, stop and ask yourself if you need it. If it’s a ‘want’ rather than a ‘need’, ask yourself why you want it. And be honest with yourself. You’d be amazed what a difference this simple moment can make. Avoid all 5 of the major money mistakes above, and you’ll be really amazed.

Getting free help from financial stress

If you need help – to work out how to budget and how to clear your debts – there’s free help out there for you. Check out these guys:

Financial Counselling Australia

The National Debt Helpline

The Salvation Army

Wesley Mission Financial Counselling

If you’re in our neighbourhood, you can come see us at for Financial Help too. We can help with no-interest loans for education, training, driving lessons, or even to set up your home. #welisten

Dreams versus Goals: how to achieve what you want.

Have you ever heard that one-liner, “I don’t have dreams, I have goals”? Well, it’s a favourite of ours, because dreams are…. hazy. They just sort of float there, off in the distance.

When your feet are stuck firmly on the ground (in the reality of everyday life), how will you make that giant leap up into the clouds?

This is where goals come in. Goals may not sound as exciting as dreams, but they are the key to getting what you want. Here’s why:

Goals give you a sense of purpose

Goals remind you of why you’re doing what you’re doing, every day. They give you a reason to not only show up to school or work but to try your best while you’re there.

Setting a ‘learning’ or ‘qualification’ goal is especially handy when your body wants to stay in bed, or your mind wants to wander out the window.

We’re sure you’ve asked, ‘why do I have to do this?’ or ‘why do I have to know this stuff?’ We all have. A lot of learning, whether it’s at school or on the job, seems like a massive waste of time. Spoiler alert: it isn’t. Because knowledge is power. Having an education is empowering. It opens a lot of doors.

If you can remember what you’re striving for and you’ll look at even the dullest lesson in a different way. It may be frustrating, but it’s not meaningless. Each day is a small step towards a larger goal – which brings us to our next point.

Goals make the impossible possible

Unlike dreams, goals can be broken into realistic short-term and long-term objectives.

You can even have daily goals. Some people call these habits. By plotting the things you need to do to get you to a larger goal, you break a big ‘impossible’ dream down into bite-size pieces that are entirely possible. For example, getting to school every day and asking for help when you need it will get you to the end of Year 10. Keeping this up will get you through to the end of Year 12 and so on.

Quick tip: Keep this in mind: nothing comes from nothing. If you do nothing, of course, nothing’s going to happen. You have to work towards things bit by bit – or bite by bite.

Goals give you clarity and direction

Now, you might be reading this and thinking, ‘but I don’t even have a dream!’ If that’s you, welcome to the club. Few people know what they want to do or ‘be’ regardless of their age but setting a few short-term goals can help ease that feeling of being lost or overwhelmed by all the choices.

For example, someone who loves animals might not know what career they want to be in, but they imagine they’d love to work with animals somehow, because then work would be ‘work’, right?

So, the first mini-goal (or task) they would have to set for themselves might look like this: Find out what type of jobs involve working with animals. The next one could be: Find out what qualifications you need to become a zookeeper.

Do this and you’ve already ticked off two things, plus you have a clearer picture of the road ahead and the direction to go in. Nice one!

Where to go for help with goal setting?

Unlike dreams, which can be a bit overwhelming – sometimes scary – goals can be as big or small as you like. And there are plenty of people out there you can go to for help setting your goals.

If you’re still in school, Careers counsellors are the bomb at goal setting. If you’re out of school, TAFE counsellors are awesome too. And, of course, if you’re in our neighbourhood, drop in and talk to us.

For now, though, we hope we’ve convinced you that dreaming isn’t doing. It’s goals that will get you what you want.

So, how ‘bout it? Is there a goal or two forming in your mind?

Is it really a job you want, or is it a career?

When you’re young and looking for a job, there’s plenty of tips and advice around on how to get one, yet there’s not nearly as much info on how to get a career.
Maybe it’s because having a career sounds like something out of reach – it’s lofty, or too ambitious – something for uni graduates only? For your long-term peace of mind, that’s an idea we’d like to knock on the head.

But first, what’s the difference between a job and a career?

Think of a job as something you take for money. Think of a career as something you build – out of a series of jobs that interconnect.
Now, picture these jobs all lined up like stepping stones across a river. As you move across, each job (or step) you take creates a path in a particular industry.

Why would you want to forge a career rather than simply take a job?

In a nutshell, it all comes down to growth and security. And no, we’re not just talking about money here. We’re talking about growing confidence and credibility. More than anything these are the things that give us peace of mind.
Each step you take in a career will see you growing – building skills, gaining more experience, cementing trust, and yes, earning you more money because of the skills, experience and trust you’ve built up over time.
Take a moment to imagine how much more confident and secure you’d be feeling with each step you’re taking across that river. And now imagine doing the opposite. Imagine leaping from your first stone to a log that comes floating by. Tricky hey? And where’s that log taking you? Will your skills and experience be wanted there? Or are they redundant?
If you’re always hopping from job to job in unrelated industries, because you’ve never really stopped to think about where you could go, you’re always going to be stuck at step one – learning from scratch again and again.

OK, so building a career is sounding like the smart choice. But where to begin?

If this is starting to sound a little overwhelming, stick with us. Chances are you’re already on a path and you don’t even know it.

Look back.

Even if you’ve only ever had casual jobs or no job at all, there’s a possibility that something you’ve done or something you’ve witnessed in the past created a tiny spark.
Can you remember a time when someone complimented you on something you did? Or maybe no one noticed, but you did something and felt a real sense of achievement afterwards. Maybe you found it easier to accomplish than those around you did.
Perhaps your career fire was kindled by someone or something you saw rather than did? Maybe you saw something and dreamed (even fleetingly) of being a part of it.
Think of as many moments as you can and jot them down on paper. What strengths do these moments prove you have? What potential careers are being revealed? Write those down too.

Look forward.

Look at the job you’re in or the job you’re going for and ask yourself, where could this job lead? If you see it as a potential stepping stone, building on skills and knowledge you already have, and leading towards another step in the future, fantastic! You’re on your way.
If you can’t really see the job leading anywhere, it’s time to start work on a career vision and a plan for reaching it.

Look at the here and now

There are a few ways you can go about mapping out a career path, and it will involve thinking about your current situation, your strengths and what gaps there might be in your education. This is a lot to think about. But don’t feel you have to do this on your own.
If you’re in a job, strike up a conversation with your boss or maybe a colleague or two above you who you admire. Ask how they got to where they are. Ask them what steps they think you could take to move forward.
If you’re still in high school, you could ask your teachers, your careers advisor, or a TAFE Careers Counsellor for help clarifying your options. In fact, even if you’re not in school or planning to enroll in TAFE, you can still access some great careers counselling via TAFE.
If you want to do some more thinking on your own first, head on over to Headspace, and try working on a career plan template.
If you’re in the Blue Mountains, Penrith or the Hawkesbury, talk to us. We’re here to help too.
Whichever way you decide to go for now, we believe in you. And we urge you to look before you leap into your next job!

Work experience: how leaders do it

It’s a vexed question most of us in the workplace have confronted at some stage in our careers: who’s going to look after the work experience kid?!

As busy people in busy offices, we get it. We understand how the thought of having to ‘babysit’ the high school kid might seem like a whole lot of time and effort you simply can’t afford to spend this week.

As youth work specialists, however, we know the impact a really great week of work experience can have on a young person, especially one who’s doing it tough.

So, to try and encourage more of the good and less of the bad, we’ve come up with the key ingredient to make work experience a positive experience for both student and employer…

It’s leadership.

When work experience goes right, it’s because leaders have brought their best qualities to the table.

Positivity

A leader sees opportunity, where others see only work. Leaders see work experience as a benefit to their business. The chance to:

• develop their staff’s people management, mentoring and training skills
• promote the skills and attitudes they want to see in the workforce
• grow or enhance their reputation as an employer of choice
• participate in building a stronger community by supporting the training needs of the next generation
• harness young and creative minds. It’s not unusual for the least experienced person in the room to come up with an insightful suggestion or offer a new insight.

Empathy

Leaders are adept at putting themselves in other people’s shoes. Recognising the stranger in a strange land, a leader takes the time to put the student at ease by:

• having procedures and people in place, ready to welcome students on day one and make sure their week is a challenging but rewarding one
• not sweating the small stuff. Leaders know not all playing fields are even. Some will come dressed in the latest styles and be naturally effervescent, others will do the best they can. If a student’s clothes don’t look quite right or if words don’t come easily, kindness and encouragement takes the place of criticism – even constructive criticism in these areas at this stage.

Communication Skills

Leaders are excellent communicators. When it comes to work experience, they take the time to:

• explain the rationale for work experience to all staff, ensuring everyone understands why their organisation chooses to participate in work experience
• lay the down the ground rules about what’s ‘cool’ and ‘not cool’ when it comes to assigning tasks and interacting with students. Often, it’s the off-the-cuff remarks or body language from staff that can turn a good experience sour
• encourage questions and feedback, from staff and students, so improvements can be made where necessary.

Inspiration

Leaders don’t bury the mundane or the tough stuff, but they also recognise work experience isn’t about access to free manual labour – it’s about introducing students to the world of work in general. It’s meant to test their ideas and assumptions, build general skills, and potentially inspire a future career.

These things can only be achieved by enabling students to:

• observe a variety of work being done
• get involved in work and be given the chance to gain a sense of achievement
• ask questions about the workplace
• understand what kind of work opportunities there are in the industry
• understand what subjects, study and further training they will need to do
• learn what showing initiative or being enterprising looks like

If you want to foster and inspire a better future, welcome students in. Give them a chance to look around. Explain what’s what and who’s who. Encourage them out of their shell. Help them envisage the possibilities.

The benefits will be far greater than you can imagine.

We’d love to hear from you on this. Do you see your workplace as a leader in this area? Or have you got some learning of your own to do?

Affordable housing – The key to a home for everybody

At Platform Youth Services, we spend almost every day finding ways to support young people who are either experiencing homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless. Very rarely do we get a chance to work on the solution rather than the symptoms.

Homelessness Week 2019 affords us the opportunity to pause for a moment and do just that. It’s a chance for us to join in on the conversation about what needs to happen to put an end to homelessness.

Before we get to what we see as one of the big fixes, however, let’s throw some light on what homelessness looks like in Australia at the moment, and what the facts reveal.

The facts on homelessness in Australia

According to our latest census stats, over 116,000 Australians are currently without a home. And around 200,000 are waiting for public and community housing.

‘Rough sleepers’ (those literally living on the streets) are just the tip of the iceberg. They represent 7% of all homeless people in Australia. This essentially means 93% of homeless people are largely unseen. They’re the ‘hidden homeless’ –sleeping in cars, rooming houses, couch surfing, or staying in other temporary types of accommodation.

When it comes to young people, 2 out of every 5 homeless people are under 25. Imagine over 27,000 young people without a home tonight. And those are just the ones the ABS was able to count.

According to the statisticians, youth homelessness is masked because either the young person doesn’t want to disclose that they are unable to go home, or the person filling in the form for the household assumes their couch surfing visitor is just that – a visitor who will be returning home soon.

Homelessness is on the rise. Youth homelessness has risen 26% in 10 years. In NSW, homelessness grew by a staggering 27% since the 2011 census.
The most important take-away in all of the facts and figures gathered, however, is that homelessness is not the result of personal failings. We often hear the term “street kids” and “runaways” but this isn’t the reality for most young people.

The top reasons young people need homelessness help:

1) Housing crisis
2) Domestic and family violence
3) Inadequate/inappropriate dwelling conditions
4) Relationship/family breakdown, and
5) Financial difficulties

What the facts tell us about our housing system

The facts and figures are both damning and frightening. When ‘housing crisis’ is listed as the number one factor for youth homelessness, it’s a clear indication that our housing system in Australia is broken.

It’s little wonder the theme chosen for this year’s Homelessness Week is ‘Housing ends homelessness’.

The big fix for homelessness? Secure, affordable Housing

While we know there’s rarely a silver bullet for any complex problem, and homelessness is indeed complex, there is increasing evidence that the provision of affordable housing is one of the most effective and enduring ways to beat homelessness. Finland, for example, has all but solved its homelessness crisis by providing increased affordable housing.

But let’s break it down further. What do we mean by secure, affordable housing? We mean appropriate housing that people can afford to rent, long term; housing where the rent can be met if you’re earning a minimum wage and/or relying on government services, such as Youth Allowance, Newstart, ABSTUDY or a pension. Typically, that means rent that’s at least 20% below the market rate.

Why housing works

When people are experiencing homelessness, they miss out on so many fundamental things that society typically takes for granted; privacy, security, a good night’s sleep, a home-cooked meal, electricity, running water, family, connections, relationships, and self-esteem. Now, imagine applying for or holding down a job with none of the above in place.

A home gives people the fundamentals needed for lifting themselves out of their situation. A long term, secure and safe home enables everybody to get on with life – to get on with looking for work, to study or complete an apprenticeship. Affordable housing is a safety net for when the cost of living keeps rising, but your income is stretched to the limit.

What it’s going to take to make it happen

Groundswell support. Political will. Bipartisanship. National action. All of the above! Because Australia is desperately short of affordable housing.
What you can do today to help make homelessness history is contact your local, state and federal members and start advocating for more social housing to be made available. Some key points you might like to raise in your letter or email:

• We need enough housing to meet Australia’s needs
• We need housing that is affordable for renters and home-buyers on low to moderate incomes
• We need a national housing market that is efficient
• We need a diverse housing profile that suits people at different stages of life.

Together, we can do this!

THE TRUTH SHALL SET US FREE

Truth telling about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for a better, shared future.

As many of you know, this week is NAIDOC week, and the theme this year is “Voice. Treaty. Truth.” In line with this, we’re going to be doing our own truth-telling here, to contribute to that happening all over the nation. Some truths will be familiar, some hard to hear. Others may be hard to believe, but all are worth knowing and remembering because they hold the key to a better future – for all Australians.

8 hard truths we need to hear about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

• 18,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are today in the out-of-home care service system within Australia.
• 22 years after the Bringing Them Home report was released, Australia has not managed to curb the rate of removal of children from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities.
• According to The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continue to be 10 times more likely than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to be removed and placed in out-of-home care services.
• Between the ages of 10 and 14 years, they are also 8.4 times more likely to complete suicide, according to Dr Tracey Westerman, Managing Director of Indigenous Psychological Services.
• From January to June this year alone, Dr Westerman has stated, 56 children, aged 14 and under have completed suicide. 56 children. In less than six months.
• Incarceration rates also remain at an all-time high. The ABS reported in a census conducted on the 30th June 2018, that of the 45,170 people incarcerated in Australia on that night almost 30% were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
• In the Northern Territory, the same census found that, of the children and young people detained in Juvenile Detention Centres across the Northern Territory, 100% were Aboriginal.

These statistics are today’s truth. Compile these with those of our shared Australian past, and you begin to understand more clearly why the road to reconciliation is a difficult one.

The journey is not without hope, however, because while these sad truths threaten to overwhelm us, we have others that we draw strength from and make use of.

3 equally important truths about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in crisis

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are born into a culture that is a gift to our nation.
• For over 60 millennia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples thrived in this country.
• When Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are empowered to be the architects of their own lives, they still thrive.

Increasingly around the country, these truths are seeing the light of day. More and more we, and other non-profit organisations like ours, are putting the pieces of a shattered puzzle together – recognising that when First Nation Peoples’ voices are welcomed to the table and genuinely listened to, their know-how, skills and innovations are of great benefit to us all.

How you can help

If you’ve read this far, it’s fair to say you’re interested in being an ally to young First Nation Peoples. Here’s what you can do:

• Get used to listening and supporting, rather than speaking for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Make room at the table for new ideas. Don’t be fooled into believing all that rich ancestral knowledge has been lost – or that it’s of no use against today’s problems.
• Show support for Indigenous organisations and organisations who support Indigenous people. Follow them on social media, and you’ll soon start to see how effective and sustainable community-led programs and partnerships are in combating poverty, homelessness, unemployment, violence and racism.
• Read the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Put your name on the Supporters’ List and tell people you have.
• Get to know the real history of Australia. It’s a lot more layered than what most of us learned in school.
• Once you know more, start conversations with family and friends. If you hear negative stereotypical views being express, champion the strength and ingenuity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Share the voices of our First Peoples, the trials and the triumphs, and reward mainstream media when they report on positive news. This all promotes the strength of Indigenous culture, which should be a source of pride for all Australians.

NAIDOC week provides plenty of opportunities – for listening, witnessing and reflecting. We’d love to know; is there anything you’ll be taking from the list here?