What We Do: The YLS Way

At YLS we offer a range of services to clients with disabilities, families, service workers, workplaces seeking up-skilling. Here is our overview of how we do what we do.

Our Aim
YLS aims to empower youth to walk their journey through engaging cross-cultural safer space. We aim offer young people who see the world in a different way, an ongoing sense of belonging and connection, and an internal and practical sense of independence.

Our Values
We deeply value cross-cultural engagement. We know that culture offers care, nurturance and flourishing to all when access is made available. We encourage pride and strength in cultural identity and community, led by the desires of young people and families who invite our services into their lives.

Our Practices
This means we support clients, their families, and service workers seeking cultural guidance, with what we call cultural intent. Cultural intent is best experienced, as principles of cultural engagement and connectivity. Through this lens, with each person we engage, our motto is: Learn, Do, Teach, Exit.

  • We know building independence is a learning journey. We focus on teaching practical skills with finances, employment, and community participation, and strengthening personal skills such as sociality, emotional regulation, and relationship building.

  • We provide doorways: opportunities for clients to engage in life skills to learn their own unique way of independence, and we walk with clients on their learning journeys.

  • We work with clients, industry colleagues, and participants to share and acknowledge their culture with and in relation to others. We seek to empower our clients and participants to feel comfortable to become teachers: to share their journey and guide others to support better practice and service delivery.

  • YLS will not overuse an NDIS plan budget. We aim to support a client in their needs while always working towards an outcome where a client can embody our LEARN, DO and TEACH principles. When a client feels comfortable to achieve the goals on their own, or with less hands-on support, we step out and cheer from the sidelines. We offer follow-up reviews to ensure our clients are on track. Most importantly, by forming principles based on cultural engagement, our clients remain embedded in a community with a sense of belonging.

LET’S GET CULTURALLY ENGAGED.

  • YLS aims to be accountable and responsible in service delivery. We provide ongoing collaboration and reporting with families and service providers to ensure clients are receiving support that is relevant to their needs.

  • YLS is dedicated to incorporating our knowledge and skills in cultural engagement strategies to respectfully meet the needs of clients and their families, engaging in culture and cultural events to build community connection. This includes culturally-relevant service providers, such as Merana Aboriginal Community Association, and Burbaga Burawa Western Sydney.

  • YLS aims to engage youth and youth services to ensure we are up to date with current practices and ensuring we build these changes into our guidelines when planning and developing our service delivery, and training to fellow service workers and industry clients.

  • YLS aims to work with our clients to create space and connection based on their needs and their families needs. We develop plans and activities based on client communications, client cultural context, and their NDIS plan structure.

  • YLS aims to create safer space for clients to build their knowledge, abilities and strengthen their connection to culture and community. We support client to build the capacity to maintain sustainable relationships. A cornerstone example of our practical and relational capacity-building programming is our Cross Culture-Cross Oceans international cultural exchange program.