Editorial Guidelines

Regional Youth Support Services Inc. (RYSS) exists to work for and with young people on the Central Coast to support their interests. RYSS seeks social justice and equity for local young people.

The Connected online magazine, on the YSite website, serves this purpose by giving young people 12 to 25 years of age the chance to publish their views through articles, event reviews, hot topics and other content.

All of this project, including any material developed for and published by it, is bound by two key principles that underpin all of the work of RYSS:

  1. mutual respect of all people, other living things, and property
  2. not to promote behaviours known to cause harm

In addition, the Connected online magazine supports participant privacy, responsibility, and the safe use of self-disclosure. In practice this means that:

  • any opinion or comment is to be made from a 1st person perspective
  • the project will generally publish the first name of participants alongside the material they develop
  • where material (while fitting within the principles above) has the real potential to risk harm to a participant, through public reaction against the material, the identity of the contributor(s) will not be published, and will otherwise be obscured to the degree possible
  • photos of contributors will generally not be published. On the occasions where photos of young people under 16 years are published, signed parental permission will be required
  • where a participant, or their contributions, reveal not-previously-known legal or child protection issues workers involved in the project will respond as per RYSS policies and procedures, which involves informing the appropriate authorities in the first instance

As the publisher, RYSS reserves the right not to publish any material in its absolute discretion, and may do so without giving a reason.

Where material gives the appearance of being a factual piece, it is the responsibility of the author to write and submit material that is accurate in its details. Though RYSS will endeavour to identify and correct any inaccuracies, the responsibility for due diligence in a piece of writing remains with the author.

Copyright for any item remains with the creator of the work, though by submitting content to the website the creator is allowing RYSS to use that material for the purposes associated with this project.

Permission

RYSS recognises both a young persons right to expression and access to a public forum, and the duty of care associated with publication.

Within this project, any young person between 12 and 25 can submit material for publication. Prior to any publication of the child/young person's material, though, RYSS will confirm the young person's wish to have their material published, using a return email approach.

RYSS asserts that it is extremely difficult to secure meaningful parental permission for publication of material submitted online. As a result, RYSS recognises its increased responsibilities to publish material that is carefully selected and/or de-identified. In making these decisions, RYSS will consider:

  • potential negative consequences for the contributor and/or their family
  • significance of the material for the community
  • potential for de-identifying the material