The North Central LLEN and Northern District Community Health Services are leading a project on behalf of the BLG Health Executive Network to support young people to recover from the 2022 floods across the Buloke, Loddon and Gannawarra Shires.
Floods significantly impacted all three of our Shires, especially young people due to the timing of the event – early in term 4, and during the VCE exam study/sitting period.
Young people were unable to attend school, work, community and social activities for a number of weeks, and in some cases month due to road closures leaving them isolated at home.
Stage One
Social Connection/community development activities: Facilitate YouThrive Dreamseeds workshops in schools across the Buloke, Loddon and Gannawarra Shires
Summerwave Music Festival - Facilitate an area at the Festival to bring together key services to support young people including YouThrive, Headspace and YTO.
Extra Capacity: Increase staff capacity for additional coordination, co-design and youth mental health support capacity. Co-design with young people including the North Central Youth Advisory Council, FREEZA and Engage project committees, Youth Groups, and School students from across the three Shires
Transport: Provide free bus transport for young people from the Buloke and Loddon Shires to attend the Summerwave Festival in Kerang (postponed due to flooding from early November to February 2023).
Mental health Introduction of Phase One of the Live4Life program to our region empowering our rural communities to improve youth mental health and reduce youth suicide (youth mental health support)
Other Other activities co-designed with young people
Stage Two Appointment of a Facilitator to consolidate the BLGs participation in the Live4Life program over the next six months, working with Live4Life, the trained Youth MHFA Team, young people, schools and community organisations across the Buloke, Loddon and Gannawarra Shires to co-design and embed Stage One of the program across our region.
Stage Three Commence the establishment of a BLG Rural Youth Network comprising young people between the ages of 16 and 25 from across the Buloke, Loddon and Gannawarra communities (including young people who are connected to our community but working and studying away) to:
Align with the Victoria-wide Rural Youth Network facilitated by YouThrive
Be a representative voice for young people to groups and organisations across the BLG and beyond (including YacVIC)
Have discussions about issues that are of concern to young people and advocate for change
Provide opportunities for young people to respond to local/state/federal government policies that impact them and their communities
Provide a social opportunity for young people from across a broad range of north central communities to come together as a network
This is a project we have actively been seeking funding for other the last 18 months without any success, but if it had been existence would have dramatically improved our ability to be responsive to the floods and supporting young people.
YacVIC’s Code of Ethical Practice, guidelines for working with young people, and considerable strengths in this space will help ensure its successful establishment and support ongoing sustainability beyond the life of the grant.
For more information, contact the North Central LLEN on 5491 1144
