Three groups with programs specifically targeting the Central Coast are among nine charities and community organisations to share in $770,000 in funding from Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation.
Epilepsy Action Australia received $46,600 for its Youth Peer Support program, connecting young Australians with epilepsy.
CEO Carol Ireland said the state-wide program would have a special focus on youth in regional areas.
“We are looking at the regional areas, starting with the Hunter and the Central Coast, which are some of the bigger population areas, hoping to link young people with epilepsy.” she said.
“All kids with epilepsy have a tough time and there are sometimes fewer services in the regions and they find it hard to connect with each other.
“We will be looking to locate young people to join an online peer support group, moderated by a speciality epilepsy nurse, where they can engage with each other and understand what other young people are experiencing.”
Ireland said the online interaction would culminate in a two-day youth conference to be held in Newcastle next September where guest speakers and experts in the field will cover areas which the young people themselves identify.
“These could include employment barriers, relationships and risk factors,” she said.
“We are also hoping some specific regionally-based groups might spring up, including on the Central Coast.”
The University of Newcastle received $88,600 to support the social and economic resilience of young migrants and refugee women.
Associate Professor Dr Temitope Egbelakin said the University planned to develop a skills development program empowering young women to undertake further studies, particularly targeting migrant and refugee women on the Central Coast.
“This will be a way for them to ease their way into the workforce – the program will include workforce participation,” she said.
Egbelakin said it was hoped the program would fundamentally change the construction industry.
“This grant is set to have a profound effect on the lives of young migrants and refugee women both here on the Central Coast and more broadly across the state,” she said.
“Women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds often struggle to get a foothold in construction, which is a traditionally male-dominated industry.
“Our program will see these women receive the education and training they need to develop fulfilling and, really, life-changing careers.”
Wheelchair Sports NSW ACT received $120,000 for northern region road safety and disability awareness.
With its roadshow based in Sydney, the organisation intends to use the money to spread its message by delivering more than 40 presentations in the regions north of Sydney in the first 12 months, including on the Central Coast.
While the organisation does not have schools confirmed yet, the Central Coast represents 20 per cent of its geographic region and it anticipates multiple programs will be presented in the region.
Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation offers two rounds of funding each year, with this round seeing the Foundation surpass $25M in grants since 2003.
Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation chair Jennifer Leslie said the money had a significant difference made in thousands of lives across regional communities over the past two decades.
The latest grant recipients are scheduled to launch their projects in the new year, with all expected to be completed by 2025.
Terry Collins