Empowering Young Koori People
The Victorian State Government has invested more than $1.5 million in grants for programs to empower and engage young Koori people through camps, sporting activities, workshops and education.
25 projects have been given funding across the state, through the Labor Government’s Koori Youth Crime Prevention Grants.
These include:
Ngwala Willumbong has been awarded $150,000 to provide Koori youth from Melbourne’s southern suburbs with weekly activities that promote positive lifestyles, cultural strengthening, employment readiness, health and wellbeing and independent living
Koori youth in Orbost, Lake Tyers, Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale will have access to affordable sport, cultural and recreational activities, with an $83,000 grant to be used to promote physical and mental wellbeing during school holidays and weekends
The Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative will use $36,240 in funding to empower and inspire Koori youth through regular meetings in Geelong and Colac. The sessions will involve a wide range of guest speakers and focus on cultural connection, education opportunities and local initiatives
Other successful projects include programs that draw on the Koori kinship systems, cultural identity, spirituality, community and traditional knowledge, as well as those that address risk factors.
The Koori Youth Crime Prevention Grants acknowledge that Koories have disproportionately high rates of disadvantage and are significantly over-represented in the criminal justice system, and support projects that deliver a range of early intervention, prevention and diversion programs.
Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Ben Carroll said: “The Koori Youth Crime Prevention Grants recognise the challenges and disproportionately high rates of disadvantage of Koori young people and work with community groups to find solutions.
“If young people can reconnect with their communities while learning new skills and having fun, it can make a real difference to their lives.”
A full list of the funded projects can be found at crimeprevention.vic.gov.au.
Image Source - Geelong Regional Alliance