In Victoria our focus is on providing Pathways to strong families and healthy, happy children; and pathways through a successful youth.

Here are some of the services we provide in Victoria:

Pathways through a successful youth

• Urban Renewal Employment Enterprise Program
• Youth Futures – Dandenong and Frankston
• Aboriginal Driver Education Program (ADEP)

Pathways to strong families and healthy, happy children

• Communities for Children
• African Pathways Program

For more information about the services Mission Australia operates in Victoria, please contact the Victorian State Office

Pathways through a successful youth:

Urban Renewal Employment Enterprise Program

The Urban Renewal Employment Enterprise Program (UREEP) provides fixed-term transitional employment for disadvantaged individuals. It is a commercially viable social enterprise providing landscape gardening, building and construction services at market competitive rates.
Each year, the program offers 30 disadvantaged people from northern metropolitan Melbourne the opportunity to gain an industry-recognised qualification in a sector currently experiencing a skills shortage.

The program seeks to:

• Develop industry skills among the long-term unemployed
• Improve the natural and built environment in disadvantaged communities
• Promote sustainable environmental practices
• Deliver cost-competitive landscaping and building services to the wider community

Youth Futures – Dandenong and Frankston

Youth Futures assists young people aged 13- 19 to re-engage in education, training and employment.

It consists of the following services:

• Dandenong Plaza Youth Information Centre (DPYIC) - an information and referral service for young people. It also provides assistance to parents, family members, the Dandenong community, retailers and security staff at Dandenong Plaza
• Urban Quest - A talent quest for young people in the Dandenong area
• Youth Voices - A youth leadership program

Aboriginal Driver Education Program (ADEP)

ADEP provides road safety training, assistance and resources primarily to indigenous people aged over 17 years who reside in the East Gippsland area to achieve their drivers licence. It is also available to people with a low income, a disability or disadvantaged youth.

The Aboriginal Driver Education Program can provide:

• Learner driver theory and practical training
• Literacy, numeracy, information technology and financial management training
• Car ownership and maintenance education
• Traffic law education
• Road safety education and training
• Legal support where barriers have been identified in obtaining a drivers licence, such as no birth certificate, outstanding fines and criminal offences
• Financial support, where appropriate, to obtain a drivers licence
• Opportunities for employment, improved community participation and access to health services
• Assistance and support to students accessing the training program
• Links between mainstream and aboriginal organisations, communities and programs

Pathways to strong families and healthy, happy children:

Communities for Children

Communities for Children combines a series of initiatives to improve the health of young families, support families and parents, improve early learning and care, support the development of child friendly communities and increase the effectiveness of family and children’s services working as a system within the Greater Dandenong area.

African Pathways Program

The African Pathways Program assists refugee children and families from the Central Horn of Africa who are living in Darebin and Banyule. The aim of the program is to increase the likelihood of African young people making positive transitions into and through secondary school and to improve students, parents and community awareness about the Australian education system. This is achieved by providing appropriate information in a culturally relevant manner. We aim to increase their school connectedness through activities such as learning clubs, recreation and leisure activities and also offer ESL Conversational English classes and Mothers Groups.