These monthly informal seminars will assist you to develop new skills, understanding and resources in your work with young people.

Open to all Youthline members, and to all people working with young people.
Thursday nights, February – November 7.00pm – 9.00pm.
Donation for VIP Supporters, $10.00 for others
Please register your attendance one week prior to the seminar date by phoning 09 361 4170.
There are separate schedules for seminars held in Ponsonby and Manukau.

Ponsonby Seminars are held at Youthline House, 13 Maidstone Street.
Manukau Seminars are held at Youthline Manukau, 145 St Georges Street, Old Papatoetoe. 

9 February 2012 - Ponsonby
16 February 2012 - Manukau
Essentially Men will give you a opportunity to learn how men can quickly develop the willingness and skills to engage and communicate about their emotional world. In the last 19 years Essentially Men has introduced thousands of men to an in-depth, experiential engagement of core issues surrounding their emotions, male identity and ability to meaningfully connect with other men and their partners. Attendees get an understanding of the workshops that Essentially Men runs and the relevance of each workshop to their client base. Understand the importance of bringing men out of isolation into community.

Working with Care & Protection
8 March 2012 Ponsonby
15 March 2012 Manukau
This seminar will focus on understanding how to keep young people safe in relation to issues of abuse or neglect. It will cover Youthline's paramountcy principal, assessing risk in cases of suspected abuse and the process of safety planning and involving outside agencies in supporting young people in abusive situations.

Rainbow Youth - Sexual Orientation & Homophobia
12 April 2012 - Ponsonby
19 April 2012 Manukau
This seminar will help you: To understand how some forms of homophobia and biphobia operate (how to address these within ourselves and others). To understand the diversity of sexual orientation. To feel more comfortable discussing these topics, especially with young people.

Rainbow Youth - Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Transphobia
10 May 2012 - Ponsonby
17 May 2012 - Manukau
This seminar will help you: To understand the difference between someones sex, gender identity, and gender expression. To understand how some forms of transphobia operate (how to address these in ourselves and others). To feel more comfortable discussing these topics, especially with young people.

Suicidality & Risk Assessment
14 June 2012 - Ponsonby
28 June 2012 - Manukau
Dealing with people who appear to be at risk of harming themselves is often high on the list of concerns for counsellors. Here we can take some time to check in with our personal responses and look at self care and resourcing. We will also get a bit of an overview of the extensive research being done in this area currently (including cross cultural considerations); some of the most recent information on risk factors and protective factors; guidelines and advice from agencies; and options for further training in this area.

Young People & Addiction - So High, Too Low
12 July 2012 - Ponsonby
19 July 2012 - Manukau
As many of us are aware, alcohol and drugs are an active part of our society, commonly used by individuals which can lead to various issues for these individuals, their families and our communities. But how are alcohol and drugs affecting our young people today?
The Ministry of Health 2007/8 "Drug Use in New Zealand" report tells us that nearly one in two adults (49.0%) aged 16 to 64 years have at sometime in their lives used some form of drug for recreational purposes, with young people aged between 16-34 years, being more likely than other to have used some form of drug within the past year.
The statistics seem to be even higher for young people and alcohol, with 72% of students in 2007 reporting having tried drinking, and 61% of students in 2007 reported that they currently drink. This report also show statistics around young people's attitude to drinking, and how common drinking is within their family environments.
These statistics show us straight away that alcohol and drugs are issues that many of our young people are facing today, but that the consumption of these substances are only one part of this issue.
This seminar will be ideal for volunteers already working on our help-lines, volunteers in training and other people who may already be/ or might be in the future working with young people and these issues. The seminar will be delivered in three parts:
1. A  focus will be placed on the four most commonly used substances (excluding tobacco), of alcohol, cannabis (most common other recreational drug in NZ after tobacco and alcohol), amphetamines and ecstasy; providing brief facts about these substances.
2. Look at ways that these substances can affect our young people lives, spanning from individual concerns about their use to addiction, expressions of concern for other people in their lives, to living with addiction.
3. Ways of talking with our young people about alcohol and drugs, which aim to facilitate change in our young people's lives and to empower them to be their own agents of these changes.

Understanding Bullying Behaviours
9 August 2012 - Ponsonby
16 August 2012 - Manukau
In this seminar we will discuss bullying and its consequences for children, young people and adults in schools, in cyber-space, and in workplaces. The seminar will cover safety and confidence knowledge / skills useful for anyone working with young people, and other adults. Ezekiel has worked at Youthline Manukau since 1997 as a volunteer counsellor, mentor and facilitator. Ezekiel is also the Auckland Programme Manager of the Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower Trust. Kidpower offers positive and empowering training for people of all ages and abilities, to prevent, avoid, stop, and report bullying, violence, and abuse.

Sexual, Medical & Reproductive Health Issues on the Helpline
13 September 2012 - Ponsonby
20 September 2012 - Manukau
Youthline CAN provide a consistent, quality service with regards to health, sexual health and reproductive health issues. By recognizing and only working within the competencies of our helpline service, we can empower young people to fully engage in their communities.
This seminar will:
1) provide a set of guidelines which support the well-being and safety of the client, counsellor and organisation when callers or texters are presenting with health, sexual health or reproductive health issues!
2) investigate how to clarify the needs of the client, as well as assess and communicate the extent to which we can support the client with their needs!
3) explore how we can provide a space for the client to safely explore the multiple emotional and psychological facets of medical and sexual and reproductive issues!

Youth & Law
11 October 2012 Ponsonby - TBC
18 October 2012 Manukau - TBC
YouthLaw will empower you with knowledge on legal rights and responsibilities for young people. Find out when young people can legally leave home, the age of sexual consent, drivers license restrictions, different categories of legal rights, including Police, Drugs & Alcohol, School, Employment, Consumer and Road, and much more.