THE Youth Affairs Council of Victoria and the Victorian Rural Youth Services network are excited to launch their new initiative to provide a stronger voice for young people and youth service providers in rural Victoria.
“The future of rural communities relies on the wellbeing and positive engagement of their young people,” commented YACVic CEO Georgie Ferrari.
“But young people can be among the most vulnerable members of any community, and those who live in rural areas can face greater hardships than their Melbourne peers.”
The launch will be held in the small, flood-affected community of Rochester, and it provides an opportunity to recognise the contributions that young people and their support workers have been making there, including over the last few difficult months. Guests will reflect upon the strengths and challenges of growing up in a country community.
“Rural young people may be dealing with the impacts of drought, floods or fires,” said Ms Ferrari.
“They may be living in areas where you can’t get around without a car, or where getting a job or a higher education means moving far away from home.
Meanwhile, if you’re a young person coping with poor physical or mental health, seeking help can be a stressful experience. It might mean a long journey to the nearest service, or fears about your privacy in a small community.”
Through this new initiative, funded by the Victorian government, YACVic and the VRYS will conduct research on young people’s wellbeing across the state, using this to provide stronger policy advice to government.
They will also build a stronger picture of the needs of the services that support young people.
“Existing evidence suggests that some rural districts do not have nearly enough generalist youth workers to meet the demand,” Ms Ferrari commented.
“Support workers may find that they are expected to be the local expert on all issues concerning youth, or that they are constantly on the road, covering much larger regions than their city colleagues.
“We are excited about this new initiative, which provides us with opportunities to talk to young people and their support workers about their experiences, honour their achievements, and ensure their voices are heard by government.”
The initiative will be launched by Damian Drum, MLC, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development. Paul Weller, MLA (Member for Rodney) and Kaye Darveniza, MLC (Upper House member for Northern Victoria) will be in attendance.
Also speaking will be members of the Rochester Youth Action group: local young people who took an initiative in helping clean up their town after the recent floods.
The launch will be held on Thursday 12th May, at the Rochester and Elmore District Health Service (function room), cnr Pascoe St and Village Drive, Rochester, from 2 – 3 pm.
