Arts and community cultural development initiatives have a long history at BYS and are valued as a core component of service delivery. Since BYS was established in 1976 there has been the involvement of artists in a broad range of projects with young people.
BYS values arts and community cultural development projects as a way of supporting homeless young people to:
·Have fun.
·Explore and give voice to personal and political issues in their lives.
·Engage in cultural life and the wider community.
·Develop and practice skills and participate in training within the arts and cultural industries.
·Seek opportunities to positively represent their diverse cultures and health issues.
·Have a genuine and valued voice to direct activities at BYS.
·Engage and interact with diverse groups of people.
Support the process of:
·Building relationships between established local cultural institutions and young homeless people in order to provide pathways into the arts industry and/or cultural action.
·Educating and sharing stories around issues affecting young homeless people in Brisbane CBD.
·Producing health resources and arts products which recognise and are relevant to young homeless people, by providing opportunity for young people to represent themselves and resourcing them to make positive change to cultures such as drug or street cultures.

BYS arts processes provide opportunities for young people to make their own decisions and choices and enjoy meaningful involvement in activities they choose to participate in.