Youth + Family

The Youth Education Program (YEP) is one of a suite of services that Anglicare ACT delivers that assists young people and their families through challenging times.

YEP is a flexible learning option for young people aged 14-19 who have disengaged from mainstream education. YEP provides structured, individualised case management to assist young people towards further education, or preparation for work.  The case management approach incorporates pathway and learning plans to support young people reach their educational goals.  YEP currently have two case managers to assist young people with their individualised plan and support them reach their full potential.

Along with enhancing essential literacy and numeracy skills, YEP provides other learning experiences to promote personal resilience and problem solving skills. YEP operates two sessions per day, morning and afternoon session, to provide students with more flexibility and independence.  At YEP, it is our goal that, the young people, will have an increased ability to participate in the community through employment, training, recreation, artistic expression and/or volunteering.

Please contact the YEP team for more information or to make a referral.

Links to Learning ‘Step up’ program is an alternative educational program for students in Years 8 and 9 at risk of disengaging from school delivered in Wagga Wagga, NSW. The program meets the educational needs of the young people, while addressing the issues and difficulties impacting on their ability to succeed in a traditional school environment. Students attend the program two days a week, while attending school for the remaining three. Students are provided with opportunities to develop personal and peer skills, improve education outcomes, gain valuable skills for future employment and work on re-engagement strategies that will support them to return to full time education.

Through the ACT Child, Youth and Family Support Program (CYFSP), Anglicare is part of Network Coordination Services, which builds collaborative partnerships between Territory funded and Australian Government funded services to promote effective communication and service provision to vulnerable children and young people in Woden, Weston Creek and South Canberra.

In addition to the above, the Network also works together to evaluate youth services and strategically develop plans to cater for growing areas of need.

YET is a youth engagement and outreach service for South Canberra, Woden and Weston Creek. The program is run as a part of the Child, Youth and Family Support Program (CYFSP) and is a partnership of two organisations, Anglicare and Woden Community Service.

YET provides community engagement and recreational activities, holiday programs, workshops, one-off assistance and can connect young people with long-term support. YET also provides short to medium term case work to young people.

Opening Hours:

Ignite Mentoring is a range of community-based mentoring service in the Riverina region that provides guidance, support and encouragement to young people.

Ignite Mentoring encompasses a number of specific programs including;

• Community – a one-on-one program for youth and mentors to build mateship and support through weekly one-hour sessions. The initial programs incorpates short term goals and runs for 10 weeks.
• Little Readers – supporting children to develop a love for reading, not just because they find books interesting, but because it is a joyful, shared experience with a person who is significant to them. Mentors will share their love of reading with students who need assistance in developing confidence as a reader. This program is held in one of the public schools in Wagga Wagga.
• Nginda – an Aboriginal-specific program designed to reconnect young people with their cultural heritage.
• Juvenile Justice – mentors deliver an educational and cultural program over an eight-week period in partnership with Shepherd’s Park Education and Training Unit of Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre. The main aim is to motivate change for the future of youths who have been incarcerated.

Want to become a mentor? Contact us for more information.

The ‘Youth at Risk’ Support Program is a targeted service, working with Indigenous Young People in Wagga Wagga. Our aim is to intervene and offer strategies for young people to reduce offending behaviours. Culturally appropriate support is tailored specifically for each young person and their situation.

Case Managers work with the young person, their community and wider networks to build resilience, promote strong relationships and encourage engagement in positive community activities. On an individual basis, the service will re-engage and support access to school or alternative education pathways.

For every young person, we want to promote cultural identity and engagement, independence and self-worth. Our team believe that young people are not defined by their offending behaviour and set out to inspire this attitude in the clients as well.

Want to find out more? Contact us today.

Engage is a youth engagement program run in partnership with Northside Community Service that caters for young people (12 to 25 years old) in the Inner North & Gungahlin regions of the ACT.

Young people can receive information and assistance and participate in varied activities in a safe environment with the aim of connecting young people into a strong support network. Y.Engage is staffed by youth workers who can offer support and assistance for all matters such as resume writing or connecting young people with other service providers. The activities are held in the Youth Engagement Space on the ground floor of Club 12/25.

Want to find out more? Contact us today.

The JSP Casework Support Service is funded by the Department of Justice and provides a broad range of supports that assist a young person, under the supervision of Juvenile Justice, to establish positive relationships and interactions within the community. The Casework Support Service compliments Juvenile Justice case management for young people, that is centred on the delivery of offender-focused programs and interventions.

The caseworker supports the young person and their families to transition away from lifestyles that bring them into conflict with the justice system. They assist in meeting agreed target outcomes that support clients to achieve their transition goals as well as liaise and advocate with other community service representatives on behalf of the young person.

The JSP Mentoring is funded by the Department of Justice and provides regular and intensive support to young people who are transitioning into the community from custody or young people in the community under the supervision of Juvenile Justice who have been assessed as having a medium to high level risk of offending. The program aims to foster resilience, stability and a positive direction for the lives of these young people within in the NSW Riverina region.

Mentors help youth to envision and plan for a better future and assist in the steps to achieve this. The impact this program has on both the young people and mentors in terms of joint learning and cross-cultural tolerance is exceptional. The benefits as reported by the young people, the mentors as well as behavioural statistics, reflect a significant and positive change in the outlook, behaviour, attitude and maturity of the participants. They are easily able to focus on maintaining pro-social behaviours whilst in custody to continue engagement in this program once released.

To run this program successful we require volunteers from the community to become mentors. If you are interested in becoming a mentor or would like further information about this program, please contact the JSP Mentoring Coordinator, Alarna Thomson.