Monaro Family Support Service today announces an investment of $525.514 over 2 years for their ‘Navigate’ Program from the NSW Office of Regional Youth as part of the ‘Our Region, Our Voice’ Regional Youth Investment Program.
The ‘Navigate’ program is aimed at supporting the mental health of young people aged 15-24.
Due to the compound crises of the last 3 years, many young people in Snowy Monaro are struggling to cope and find it difficult to access the support they need. The ‘Navigate’ program will provide free, flexible, mobile support across the region to connect young people aged 15-24 to the right services and reduce the barriers of access, cost and travel. This will be achieved through strategies of assertive outreach, engagement activities, and face-to-face individual tailored support based on each young person's strengths and changing needs.
Monaro Family Support Service CEO Pauline Cook said: “Locally based, youth-friendly support for this age group has been a long-standing gap in Snowy Monaro, and those which exist are difficult for young people to navigate. We are delighted that this funding will enable us to work with young people to meet this need, and to ensure they are better equipped to deal with life’s challenges”.
Member for Monaro Nichole Overall MP said: “As a mother of two sons in that age group and a former chair of Headspace, I know the critical need for these programs in regional areas. I’m pleased to see such a significant amount of funding go to this extraordinary project, which will help people aged 15 to 24 in the region locate and access the support they need during tough times. Mental health for youth in the bush has never been more important and these services including engagement activities and face to face individual tailored support will make a difference to young people in the Monaro.”
Monaro Family Support Service (MFSS) works together with individuals, children, young people, and families in our Snowy Monaro communities to support their journey with life’s challenges for positive growth and change. We want to equip our community with skills and knowledge and do this by providing locally responsive services.
The ‘Our Region, Our Voice’ Regional Youth Investment Program is aimed at improving the lives and well-being of young people in regional areas, in line with identified areas of need in regional NSW.
The objective of the ‘Our Region, Our Voice’ Regional Youth Investment Program is to genuinely reflect the needs and aspirations of regional young people in NSW to:
- learn, work, and achieve in regional NSW
- be mentally and physically healthy, safe and thrive in their communities
- explore their creativity, collaborate with other teams, develop a sense of achievement and feel socially and culturally connected to their communities
- have transport and digital connectivity solutions to access training, work services and recreational activities; and
- be place-based and reflect the diversity of young people’s needs across regional NSW.
For further information on the ‘Our Region, Our Voice’ Regional Youth Investment Program visit www.nsw.gov.au/regionalyouthinvestmentprogram
