Anglicare (NSW South NSW West & ACT) celebrates the achievements of two staff members from the Junction Youth Health Service, Taylor Jackson and Dr Louise Stone, who won two categories at the ACT’s YOGIE Awards last week.
Taylor Jackson received the award for Best New Talent for her work as a Youth Worker with Anglicare – a role she’s been in for just 18 months. Her work includes crisis support, outreach, case management, group facilitation and social support. Taylor also helped create the Junction’s new Social Groups, including an innovative art program. She also coordinates the Interview Friends program where over 20 volunteers provide support young people in police custody, with Taylor even volunteering for the program herself outside work hours.
Dr Louise Stone is a GP who has worked at the Junction for about a year and she received her award for Outstanding Contribution to Young People. Vulnerable young people coming to the Junction benefit both from Louise’s professional skills and her warm and empathetic approach to health care which includes a particular focus on mental wellbeing. Young people say Louise takes the time to listen to their experiences and point of view before creating a plan forward. Louise always seeks collaboration with the Youth Worker team at the Junction to provide more holistic support for her clients. She provides health education to young people and also with the youth team. She is also a member of the ACT Medical Board, the Deputy Chair of the ACT Health ethics committee, and is a member of the GP Mental Health Standards Collaboration.
Anglicare’s manager for Youth and Family Service, Sarah Murdoch, said the awards are a wonderful recognition of the dedicated ongoing work that is being done at the Junction Youth Health service as a whole to ensure vulnerable young people in Canberra receive the tailored help and support they need. “We’re so proud of the Taylor and Louise and delighted to see their care and professionalism honoured,” said Ms Murdoch. “They keep the wellbeing of the young people as their priority, and this is reflected in the culture of our entire youth and family services teams. We want young people to feel safe, supported and that they are being treated with dignity. We look for innovative ways to assist each person that addresses their individual needs, understanding that some situations can be quite complex.”
The Junction Youth Health Service is based at Scotts Crossing, and provides primary health care for young people between 12-25 years old at no cost. Services are available to any young person with a medicare card, however there is a particular focus on supporting young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The annual YOGIE Awards are an initiative of the Youth Coalition of the ACT and recognise, celebrate, promote and reward outstanding practice in working with young people, highlighting the exceptional commitment, talent and innovation that exists in the ACT youth sector. For Anglicare, taking out two categories is a wonderful recognition of the dedicated ongoing work that is being done at the Junction Youth Health service to ensure vulnerable young people in Canberra receive the help and support they need.
Pictured below: ‘Best New Talent’ YOGIE award recipient, Taylor (centre), with other youth workers from The Junction, Liv and Harry.
