AustLit

'Bankstown Youth Development Service (BYDS) is a community arts based cultural development organisation located at the Bankstown Arts Centre. BYDS has for the last twenty years instigated innovative arts and cultural projects leading to profound and lasting changes amongst the communities and young people of Bankstown and South West Sydney. BYDS was incorporated in 1987. Funding for an arts position began in June 1991, initially for three years from a WSAAS (Western Sydney Area Assistance Scheme) grant. The NSW Ministry for the Arts (now Arts NSW) adopted the BYDS program in 1994. Since then, the State Government, through a variety of programs, has funded the position on an annual basis. BYDS now receives triennial funding from Arts NSW.

BYDS is well-known across Western and South Western Sydney for creating, in collaboration with the community and other partners, a constant stream of intelligent and challenging community based art works. BYDS draws upon the philosophy of skills transfer and community cultural development, using the arts to build the creativity and capability of individuals and communities. The majority of BYDS work is with young people from diverse cultural backgrounds, Indigenous communities and the elderly. BYDS has developed and mentored a generation of younger artists proficient in different art forms (performance, theatre, multimedia, dance, drama, writing etc). BYDS is recognised for its expertise at producing community based arts projects unique for their cross-disciplinary, cross-generational and culturally diverse nature. BYDS is a non-profit organisation that works in partnership with other organisations and institutions: Bankstown City Council, Urban Theatre Projects (UTP) and the University of Western Sydney Writing and Society Research Group to name a few.

In 2006, BYDS was placed on the Federal Government's Cultural Organisations register. This means that BYDS is now a tax deductible entity. Institutions and individuals can donate funds and property to BYDS and receive a tax deductible receipt.' Source: www.byds.org.au/ (Sighted 24/11/2011).