Safer Communities Program

“The best thing that happened today - changing the internal story”

What is Safer Communities?

It is a two year project finishing in April 2024.

The project aims to reduce the level of youth disengagement, crime, and anti-social behaviour in the South Burnett.

How will Safer Communities work with young people?

The program will reach out and connect with fellow locals from a vast range of different backgrounds with varying skill sets to engage young people and encourage them to make better decisions and plans for their future.

This project employs a dedicated Program Officer and a young person to organise, promote and engage community partners and commercial providers to deliver targeted courses, engagement activities and outreach services to young people aged between 12 and 24 years of age.

Some of the programs that are or will be delivered include:

• Artist Workshops: Reduction of vandalism of public spaces. Increase in youth ownership of key public spaces through dedicated graffiti walls and skate parks.
• Cyber Safety: An increase in awareness of personal safety while being online, increase in resilience and life skills. Total number of expected participants.
• Tenancy Skills: Increase in tenancy rates, positive feedback from property managers. Increase in life skills to manage a home.
• Financial Literacy: Increase financial literacy, build skills to manage finances and provide confidence to enter the labour market.
• Learner Driver Program: Support young people to obtain their provisional driver licence, increase employability, attraction, and retention into the workforce.
• Safe talk for teens: Helping young people help themselves. Safe Talk will teach young people to have the right conversations with friends talking about suicide.
• Cooking Classes: Supporting young people to learn to cook meals to a budget, understand nutrition and to take these into their home.
• Be a farmer for a day: Support young people to investigate work opportunities on local farms, building connections between young people and local employers.
• Small Town Skills Day: Increase in connectedness for isolated young people. Building natural support networks between young people and local groups, organisations, etc. Understanding the role of volunteering to develop life skills.
• Come and Try Days: Increased participation in sport or community groups to increase physical and mental wellbeing. Building natural support networks and increased connection between young people and local clubs, teams, etc. Project example: Kayaking, mobile gymnastics, roller blading, netball, or cricket.

Who is Eligible?

Any young person 12 -24 years of age.

How to be involved with Safer Communities

To make contact or find out more:

Kate McCormack
Safer Communities Program Officer
Email: katem@sbctc.com.au
Mobile: 0429 190 713