Laura’s story: a placement that changed everything
Laura Slink’s journey to YSAS started almost by accident. While studying a Certificate IV in Youth Services, she happened to meet a YSAS worker named Ebony on New Year’s Eve.
“She was like, I’m so glad you’re getting into the field – it’s a good place to work,” Laura recalls.
At the time, Laura had never heard of YSAS, but after that encounter, she made it her mission to get a student placement there. A few years later, she’s now working at YSAS Morwell—and Ebony is her team leader.
“She was like, ‘Oh my god, we met five years ago completely by random!’”
From her first day of placement at YSAS Morwell, Laura felt like she belonged, despite never having worked in the industry.
“I just felt like I fit right in,” she says. “I couldn’t believe that at YSAS, everyone’s so nice.”
On one of her first days, she was asked to drive a young person across Gippsland.
“I rang Terry—it was one of her clients—and she goes, ‘Do you mind driving him to Traralgon?’ So it kind of threw me in the deep end straight away, but it was great, we had a great chat.”
During her placement, Laura was shocked by the level of social inequality and disadvantage she witnessed.
Growing up with a father in the police force, Laura was raised with a more punitive view of wrongdoing. Her time at YSAS shifted that perspective.
“Whilst I don’t condone criminal behaviour, I can understand where it’s coming from, and I can try and help turn their life in a different direction,” she says. “I think I’ve actually been able to sort of change Dad’s perspective on things.”
Laura also learnt not to judge clients. “It’s our role to help them and support their goals, and put our own goals aside.”
Throughout her placement, Laura was exposed to a variety of YSAS programs, including AOD Outreach and the Youth Support Service, which works with young people involved in criminal activity. She also learnt about therapeutic approaches like narrative therapy and family practice.
“I got to really think about what particular direction I might want to go down,” she says.
What impressed her most was YSAS’s supportive and advocacy-based model.
“We get to voluntarily work with young people and advocate for them,” she says. “We’re not a threat to them, whereas so many other services have a different responsibility.”
Now working in the YSAS Morwell team, Laura still can’t quite believe her luck.
“I guess it must be like my dream job, because I actually have fun, like, all the time,” she says. “We have a really good team and everyone helps each other out.”
A country girl at heart, Laura loves incorporating nature into her work.
“You can use nature as part of your own healing, which not everybody has access to down the city way.”
She recalls taking one young person to a quiet natural spot after suggesting, “Have you ever gone and just sat by the river?”
“She was like, ‘I love this, I’m going to come back here all the time.’”
Laura’s advice to anyone considering a YSAS placement is simple: go for it.
“There’s a lot to learn, and all of the YSAS workers across all the sites have a wealth of knowledge,” she says. “The YSAS values are taken seriously, so become familiar with them and hopefully they align with your own values.”
As for her future? Laura’s committed.
“YSAS is just full of supportive, helpful people,” she says. “I don’t see myself doing anything else—not for the next 10 years at least.”