More connections for Whyalla's young people
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11 Dec 2008 |
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A new $300,000 Mission Australia program to help young people disconnected from mainstream schooling find suitable education and employment opportunities will be launched in Whyalla tomorrow.
The Connections Program – designed to re-engage young people aged 13-19 years into further education, training or fulltime employment - is expected to assist about 50 students in the next 12 months.
Local member for Giles, Lynn Breuer, M.P, will attend the “Connections” launch at Mission Australia Youth Central, 157 Nicolson Ave, Whyalla, South Australia, at 10.30am on Friday, 12 December.
Mission Australia’s Whyalla-based Service Manager Debra Katsiavos said the Australian Government was part of a three-year $34.9 million allocation - through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations – to enhance the skills of young Australians and develop an integrated national career and transition network...
The Whyalla Connections program will receive $333,014 to assist 40 fulltime and 10 part-time students until December 2009.
“Our Whyalla team assists young people move successfully through school, and then on to further education, training or jobs,” Ms Katsiavos said.
Mission Australia State Director Jillian Paull said programs such as Connections provided vital support for young people who may be uncertain about how to pursue personal and job-related goals.
“This program is designed to help young people find suitable connections with education and training – connections that help them find and follow the paths they wish to take towards happier, healthier, balanced lives,” Ms Paull said. Ms Katsiavos said Mission Australia Whyalla also provided other services tailored to the needs of young people and their families that could be accessed by Connections participants. These services include:
• Reconnect, which aims to prevent young people leaving home prematurely • Job Placement and Training (JPET) • Personal Support Program (PSP) • Learning Unlimited, Mission Australia’s alternate learning program • Futures Upgrade, Mission Australia’s youth leadership and enterprise skills program • After-hours youth activities, which provides a drug and alcohol-free, supervised environment outside school or work hours • Personal Helpers and Mentors (PHAMS), which assists people with mental health issues to manage daily activities.
For further information, contact Mission Australia Service Manager Debra Katsiavos on 0427 396 531 or at the Whyalla office on 08 8649 2167, or Chris Rann at Rann Communication on 08 8211 7771.
Mission Australia has been helping change the lives of individuals and families in need for close to 150 years. We make a real difference by working with people through their challenges and enabling them to pursue more positive, independent lives.
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