Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR)
Six community organisations stepping up to support local youth
Six local community organisations are using $48,000 in funding from FRRR to continue to work with Latrobe Valley’s young people to deliver projects that address the issues identified at the ABC Takeover Summit held in Latrobe Valley in September.
Hosted by ABC and FRRR, the Takeover Summit is a week-long, place-based storytelling and capacity building program that empowers young people to share their voices and make a positive impact in their community by working with local organisations to develop youth-led solutions to issues that affect them most.
Funded through the Takeover Youth Catalyst Grants program, the grants will fund the six projects co-designed by 35 of Latrobe Valley’s young changemakers and ambassadors from each of the organisations.
The projects focus on a range of issues, including encouraging positive connections with other local young people and the community; supporting creative and physical expression; and engaging with accessible educational materials to enable young people to make informed decisions for their future.
Deb Samuels, FRRR’s People Portfolio Lead, said the Takeover Summit was an amazing opportunity for the not-for-profit community to connect and work alongside the next generation of community leaders.
“FRRR worked closely with the ABC to identify six local partner organisations that share our vision of empowering young changemakers by giving them a voice and the tools and resources they need to drive change on issues that matter most to them.
“A mentor from each organisation worked alongside young people to bring their ideas to life and start to build these important connections as they become the community-focused professionals, creatives, policy-makers and volunteers of the future.
“With the support of our funding partners, FRRR provided the Takeover Youth Catalyst Grants to fund six youth co-designed projects now being delivered in the Latrobe Valley region.
“This unique granting program inspires hope and confidence in young people and affirms to them that their ideas are worthwhile; that organisations within their community and local leaders believe in them; and that they can have a voice and be agents of change within their community,” Ms Samuels said.
Justin Stevens, ABC Director News, said supporting young people’s ideas through the Takeover program benefited their communities.
“The stories we’ve heard from the Latrobe Valley’s young people demonstrate the incredible diversity of this region.
“The community connection fostered through Takeover Latrobe and the ongoing community efforts demonstrate the power that young people’s stories can have,” Mr Stevens said.
These grants are generously co-funded by contributions from the Brian M Davis Foundation, the Sally Foundation and Bunnings Warehouse.
Community groups or businesses that want to also support the projects are encouraged to get in touch to help bring them to life.
The full list of grant recipients and their projects are below.
Organisation | Project | Location | Grant |
---|---|---|---|
Morwell Neighbourhood House & Learning Centre (Inc 3256) | HYPE - Helping Young People Everywhere Prepare young people for future careers with a series of videos on job seeking tailored to the Latrobe Valley. | Morwell, VIC | $8,000 |
Regional Arts Victoria | Imagine and Bloom – Latrobe Art Market Boost young people's involvement in the creative arts space by pioneering a Maker's Market alongside other artists in the community. | Morwell, VIC | $8,000 |
Gippsland Climate Change Network Incorporated | On a Good Note Developing hopeful and helpful videos for multiple social channels for youth to see positive stories of environmental projects. | Traralgon, VIC | $8,000 |
Gippsland Youth Spaces Inc. | Your Journey Create more positive mentors for youth in Latrobe through the production of a youth journal. | Morwell, VIC | $8,000 |
Latrobe Community Health Service Ltd | Caring for Caring Equip youth to build resilience and be prepared to support the mental health struggles of family and friends. | Morwell, VIC | $8,000 |
Gippsport Incorporated | RecRev (Recreation Revolution) Encouraging young people to get involved in physical activity during a one-day showcase of recreation opportunities to increase community connections and their sense of belonging. | Traralgon, VIC | $8,000 |
With support from our long-time partner, The Sally Foundation, FRRR awarded $12,000 through three grants to not-for-profit community organisations in the Mildura region. These grants are helping bring to life ideas generated during the Mildura Takeover Summit.
The FRRR ABC Takeover Youth Catalyst Grants empower communities to act on innovative ideas proposed by local youth at a leadership summit. Over the course of a week, up to 36 young people collaborate to explore the issues that matter to them and devise creative solutions. Local not-for-profits are then invited to apply for funding to work alongside these young idea-makers, bringing their concepts to life.
These grants provide a pathway for youth-led ideas to be piloted in their communities, creating opportunities for young people to connect with local organisations and have their voices heard on issues important to them.
Organisation | Project | Location | Grant |
---|---|---|---|
Sunraysia Community Health Services Ltd | Serenity Hut Improve youth mental health by establishing a youth-led mental health space and program. | Mildura, VIC | $4,000 |
Sunraysia Community Health Services Ltd | Hive Hub Encourage youth to come together through the development of a safe and supportive study space designed by youth. | Mildura, VIC | $4,000 |
Christie Centre Inc | Visibility of Disability Create an inclusive community by delivering a week-long youth-led event that educates, challenges assumptions, and overcomes stigmas relating to disability. | Mildura, VIC | $4,000 |
By Deb Samuels, People Portfolio Lead
One of FRRR’s key strategic priorities is investing in the next generation of community-focused professionals, creatives, policy-makers and volunteers for remote, rural and regional communities across Australia. There is so much energy both internally and externally to bring this to life across all FRRR’s granting activities, from small grants to deeper capacity building. With so much momentum building, we thought it was time to share all our next gen focused activities or what we call our Youth Futures initiatives.
You are likely familiar with FRRR’s OG next gen initiative, the FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grants program, in partnership with the ABC Heywire. Our 10+ years of partnering with the ABC has seen more than $1.5 million in grants awarded to remote, rural and regional communities to fund brilliant ideas for change developed by young people at the annual Heywire Summit in Canberra.
What you may not know is that these grants are reviewed by FRRR Heywire interns and that a Youth Advisory Committee comes together to land on what projects will have the biggest impact and makes recommendations to the FRRR Board on what to fund. These are ideas designed by young people from remote, rural and regional Australia, with funding for projects decided by young people. Last year, thanks to support from our friends at John Villiers Trust, we were able to provide a stipend to both our interns and the committee members. Representation matters and valuing the lived experience and unique perspectives of young people is vital to ensure the opportunity is open to a diverse pool of candidates.
We also have the FRRR ABC Takeover Youth Catalyst Grants, another partnership initiative with the ABC that brings young people and community together to partner with local organisations and co-design youth focused projects. Since Takeover began in Shepparton, VIC in 2022, it has continued to evolve in Mildura VIC, and most recently Takeover Lismore, NSW. Because each community is unique, each Takeover program is also unique and builds on what we’ve learned from each iteration.
What we’re super excited about as this program builds momentum, is the opportunity to help grow a local network of next generation superstars ready to take on the challenges in their region. Like the group of young people who have worked alongside Lismore Council to launch ‘High Schoolers Haven’, a youth-led pop-up event space to foster social connections, support, and skills development for Lismore youth. And the group working with Connect Northern Rivers to make a video at the local career expo that highlights great local career opportunities available for young people. Watch this space for the next Takeover locations in Latrobe, VIC this September, and two more national locations in 2025 where we will continue to evolve the program in partnership with the ABC to meet the unique needs of each community.
Our suite of Youth Futures initiatives also includes the Sally Foundation Trailblazers Development Fund, delivered by FRRR in partnership with the Sally Foundation and the ABC. This is an opportunity for young people to connect with mentors, grow their entrepreneurial skills and present their innovative ideas at Parliament House in Canberra. They are then invited to apply for seed funding to take their ideas to the next level. This program has launched shining stars like Jameson Harvey, who founded Red Dirt Robotics, who was then in a great position to become part of the 2023 VFFF Backing the Future cohort.
Which is a great segue into the newest next gen initiative on the FRRR Youth Futures block – our partnership with the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) to deliver their Backing the Future program! It’s such a unique grant program, offering $50,000 to back young changemakers and kick start a great idea that will have an impact on regional youth in NSW and QLD. This collaboration enables us to help discover and nurture promising ideas and explore the potential for significant impact that results when a great idea meets skill, innovation and start-up resourcing. FRRR is excited to be working alongside the VFFF team and utilising our networks across remote, rural and regional NSW and Queensland to connect with social entrepreneurs. If you have an innovative idea that benefits young people in your NSW or Queensland community, get in touch with us to discuss possibilities.
Did you think that was all? Not a chance! We also piloted a ‘Youth Roadmap’ in Ulladulla this year, as part of our Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program. This was another opportunity to give young people in a community a voice and support to share their ideas for change. As the IRCF program expands into new communities, we plan to make sure young people are at the table.
None of this work happens without the dedication and passion of the Youth Futures team at FRRR, led by Lauren Ryan our Youth Futures Manager. We have also just hired our first ever Youth Futures Program Officer! We look forward to making an introduction soon, and to all the great youth focused granting and activities this growing team will enable.
Whenever we engage with young people in any of our Youth Futures initiatives, we are left with no doubt that remote, rural, and regional communities are in the very best of hands. The community champions we need for the future are ready with brilliant ideas and solutions, they just need all of us to open the door of opportunity.
With support from a variety of generous supporters including The Sally Foundation, Seaton Foundation and Bunnings Warehouse, FRRR awarded $36,000 via six grants to not-for-profit community organisations in and around Lismore for a variety of projects aimed at supporting local youth.
The FRRR ABC Takeover Youth Catalyst Grants support communities to take action on the ideas generated by regional youth at the annual ABC Takeover Regional Summit. The annual Takeover Summit provides local students with a platform to speak up and have their voices heard on issues that matter to them within their own community.
The grants provide a mechanism for these ideas to become reality in their community, with project delivery intended to establish a greater connection between youth and community organisations; support youth to drive change in their community by backing their ideas; and ensure that young people are valued for their contributions and time.
Organisation | Project | Location | Grant |
---|---|---|---|
Connect Northern Rivers Inc | Destine Create a film at the Connect Northern Rivier Career Expo to showcase local career pathways, increasing awareness and opportunities for young people in Lismore. | Lismore, NSW | $6,000 |
Lismore City Council | High Schoolers' Haven Launch a youth-led pop-up event space in Lismore to foster social connections, support, and skills development for Lismore youth. | Lismore, NSW | $6,000 |
Our Plan C Inc | NexGen Navigators: Trash Talkers Equip local youth with the skills to lead their own youth-led environmental projects to activate their environmental awareness and comunity resilience. | Lismore, NSW | $6,000 |
Nimbin Neighbourhood & Information Centre Inc on behalf of Nimbin Youth Events | Youth Fest Create a youth-led festival that empowers young people to showcase their talents and develop event management skills to foster community connections. | Lismore, NSW | $6,000 |
The Tropical Fruits Inc | StandUp StandOut Implement workshops to empower Lismores diverse youth through art, fostering self-pride, community connectinos and improved mental health. | Lismore, NSW | $6,000 |
Creative Peoples Collective Inc | Culture Peoples Collective Empower youth through artistic workshops and events, fostering skills, self-expression and community cohesion. | Lismore, NSW | $6,000 |