Youth Empowered Towards Independence – YETI

About YETI

Youth Empowered Towards Independence (YETI) is a support agency for young people aged 12-25 years old living in Far North Queensland. They facilitate a range of programs focusing on the needs of vulnerable young people. YETI particularly values cultural safety, empowerment and harm minimisation. Their service delivery approach aims to engage young people and seek their participation in our service.

YETI currently employs a multidisciplinary team of teachers, social workers, community development workers, counsellors and psychologists. They believe strongly in recruiting practitioners from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island backgrounds.

Programs

• Drug & Alcohol Counselling: provides appropriate and effective counselling interventions for young people who are ‘at risk’ of problematic substance use.
• Drug & Alcohol Case Management: works with young people who are ‘at risk’ of problematic substance use. The service works with young people to reduce, cease or become safer with that use.
• RADIO – Remote Alcohol and Drug interventions and Outcomes: Alcohol & Other Drug support for young people in the Mossman, Cape York and Torres regions.
• Day Program: provides a youth friendly and culturally safe drop-in space to respond to the needs of vulnerable young people in the Cairns area. (Monday to Friday, 9am – 1pm)
• Youth Support Program
• Next Step Plus & Extended Post Care Support
• Strong Together: Strong Together Youth Justice family support
• Just North: Just North Volatile Substance Use (VSU) and capacity building
• Schools Up North (SUN): Mental Health capacity building
• SSAYIT: LGBTIQ+ youth group
• Cairns and Yarrabah Youth Bail Support Service (CYYBSS)
• Youth Response & diversion: After hours outreach support for young people Thursday – Saturday 40m-10pm
• Coordinated Care for Vulnerable Young People (CCYP) + SMART (specialised multi-agency response teams)

Intake, assessment and referral

Open referral:  self-referral is encouraged as well as referrals from family, friends, community and GP, allied health professional and community services.

Online referral form available on our website.

Additional information

Outreach: Assessed on a case-by-case basis, initial contact is preferred in house in person.