Engaging! more young people in macedon

Young people in Macedon will have more opportunities to actively participate in and connect with their local community, through the Andrews Labor Government’s Engage! 2018-20 program.

The two Macedon Ranges Shire Engage! Programs, which have been in operation since 2015, will continue their work with young people aged between 12 and 25 through to 2018-20 on the back of the new funding.

Through the Kyneton Community & Learning Centre Inc (KCLC), the Learning in Community (LinC) program will receive $120,000, to continue supporting activities and skills training specific to hospitality, graphic design, marketing, film making, teamwork, event planning and risk management. Additionally, the program will extend its reach with further inclusion of young people who are disengaged, particularly from mainstream education.

The Macedon Ranges Youth Engage Program (YEP!) is set to benefit from a $95,000 grant, to continue supporting the health and well-being of young people, increase their participation in community and civic life and build their knowledge and skills through access to training, volunteering and work experience opportunities within Council and in the Macedon Ranges Shire.

They join 107 local government and community organisations across the state to share in the $12.3 million Engage! 2018-20 program.

Engage! helps young people to strengthen their education, training and employment pathways, and improve their health and wellbeing.

Young people are a key part of developing and delivering Engage! projects, which are aimed at a diversity of youth, including Aboriginal young people, young people from culturally diverse backgrounds, LGBTQI young people, young people with disabilities and young people living in rural and regional Victoria.

Engage! supports the Labor Government’s ongoing commitment to better connect young people with their communities, as outlined in the Youth Policy: Building Stronger Youth Engagement.

The Youth Policy also supports young people to have their say and participate in decision-making on government policy and practices.

For more information, please visit youthcentral.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas
"We’ve already seen that the Engage! programs are a great way of encouraging young people to build their skills and connect with our community."

"I encourage more young people to get involved with the Kyneton Community & Learning Centre Inc (KCLC) and Macedon Ranges Youth Engage Program (YEP!). These fantastic programs offer hands-on experiences for participants to achieve their personal and professional goals."