The state government has given $350,000 to the Centre for Multicultural Youth to help Wyndham youths find a pathway out of crime.
Werribee MP Tim Pallas, Member for Altona Jill Hennessy and Member for Tarneit Sarah Connolly last week jointly announced that the centre, which is based in Carlton, would receive funding to extend the Change It Up program for 12 months.
Change It Up delivers intensive case management support to young people in Wyndham who have been identified as engaging in high-impact violent crime.
The project aims to reduce offending and recidivism among Wyndham youths aged 10 to 24.
Change It Up engages young people in coaching, mentoring, employment and education opportunities to address the underlying causes of their offending and steer them away from the justice system.
Mr Pallas said extending Change It Up would “help make sure our local young people get the support they need to stay connected and engaged.”
The $350,000 funding granted to extend the Change It Up initiative comes from the state government’s Youth Crime Prevention Grants program, which received $4.4 million in the 2021-22 Victorian budget.
Ms Connolly said that a sense of community “can make all the difference in the lives of at-risk youth”.
Ms Hennessy said: “I’m really pleased that funding has been allocated to extend the critical work of the Centre for Multicultural Youth to continue to give young people in Wyndham meaningful and individualised support.”
Details: www.crimeprevention.vic.gov.au/grants/youth-crime-
