The Federal Government is set to invest more than $700,000 in two Central Coast organisations to deliver innovative projects to improve the lives of young people in the region.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth visited the Coast last week to make the announcement alongside Member for Robertson Gordon Reid and Member for Dobell Emma McBride.
The Skill Engineer will receive $360,000 over two years for its Nyanga Walang – To give and to learn project.
The Skill Engineer is a non-profit organisation focused on engaging individuals in economic, social and civic activity and has welcomed the announcement of the funding for Nyanga Walang.
The program aims to support First Nations youth to connect to Country and culture, access support to navigate the transition to high school, and build a strong sense of identity and purpose.
It also aims to empower young people to create a positive impact on their communities.
The Skill Engineer CEO Maggie MacFie stressed the importance of building the capacity of First Nations youth.
“It is an honour for us to deliver this project and to have the opportunity to help young First Nations people connect with their culture and Country,” she said.
“We are grateful for the funding and we welcome the opportunity to create a world where young individuals are appreciated and encouraged to achieve their full potential.”
During the funding announcement, Minister Rishworth had the opportunity to hear directly from young people about the positive impact of Unlocked, a Skill Engineer program designed to support young people who have experienced difficulty re-engaging with education and training after the COVID-19 lockdown.
Coast Shelter will receive a funding extension of $384,104 in 2023-24 to continue to deliver the Love Bites program, which educates young people about healthy relationships through the delivery of trauma-informed evidence-based education.
CEO Michael Starr said in 2022 alone the Love Bites program was delivered to more than 4,000 young people in 30 schools across the region.
“The aim of the program is to provide young people with a safe environment to examine, discuss and explore respectful relationships and equip them with the knowledge and behaviours to make healthy and informed choices for themselves – decisions and choices that are free of violence and abuse,” he said.
“Our goal this year is to expand the program to reach more than 5,000 young people in every high school on the Coast”.
Minister Rishworth said the Government was proud to support such innovative projects.
“This funding is ultimately about creating safe, respectful and empowered communities, with access to opportunities – and that starts with our young people,” she said.
“Young people have their whole lives ahead of them and we need to do everything we can to make sure they have access to information and education to help foster respectful and inclusive attitudes and behaviours from the start.
“Consent and education projects are central to the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022–2032, which describes how all areas of society need to work together over the next 10 years towards ending violence against women and children.”
Terry Collins