Practices and possibilities: three years on

Abstract

In 2006 an evaluation of the Far Northern Queensland districts District Youth Achievement Plan (DYAP) governance and processes was conducted (Taylor, 2006a). The subsequent literature generated by this evaluation (Taylor, 2006b; 2008) supported Considine's (2005) notions of new forms of network governance as providing" action channels and .... sets of boundaries" (p.13) and concluded that the DYAP processes suggest that new "spaces" for political action could be generated through joined up responses to community issues and offer possibilities for new ways of implementing policy. This paper reflects on developments in policy, practice and partnerships impacting on the initiative since 2006 and proposes that much of the success of the original project has fallen victim to centralized policy mandates and lack of attention to local partnerships. Policy needs to be much more responsive to local contexts if its intent and outcomes are to be achieved for disadvantaged youth in regional Queensland.