Programs / Funding

Connect Central

YOUTH CONNECTIONS –PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Connect Central Consortium was recently successful in securing funding for the new federally funded Youth Connections program. Youth Connections will provide a flexible service to assist young people who are most at risk of disengaging, or who are already disengaged from education, and/or family and the community.

The objective of Youth Connections is to support these young people to attain Year 12 or equivalent and to help them make a successful transition through education and onto further education, training or work. Assistance will be provided to young people through the provision of individualised case management to overcome personal barriers. This may be delivered through one-on-one assistance, group programs, mentoring, advocacy and/or referrals to external support or specialist services.

Youth Connections will be delivered in the City of Greater Bendigo by St Luke’s, in the Mount Alexander Shire by Castlemaine District Community Health, and in the Central Goldfields Shire by Maryborough District Health Service.

To be eligible, a young person must be

Connect Central is the doorway to education, training and employment in the Goldfileds region

Identified as being at risk of not completing year 12 or equivalent
Aged 13 – 19 years
Unemployed.
Not engaged in tertiary studies
Identified as having significant barriers to successful participation in education or training

Youth Connections targets young people who are experiencing a combination of issues which present significant barriers to their educational attainment and successful transition.

Youth Connections will assist young people to:

Build resilience and self worth

develop strategies to overcome barriers to participation and engagement

make positive life choices

develop their social skills

engage or reengage successfully with family, personal support networks and community

improve their health and wellbeing.

sustain engagement or re-engage with education

successfully transition through education

prepare for participation in further education, training or employment pathways

engage with specialist services and activities as needed

improve career development and life skills.

Please contact Connect Central Bendigo on Ph 54411444 to make a referral or discuss possible further assistance.