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.

Gippsland Climate Change Network Incorporated’s (GCCNI) application to FRRR’s Community Led Climate Solution’s (CLCS) grant program highlighted the multi-faceted transition required in response to the planned closure of coal fired electricity plants in the Latrobe Valley, on Gunaikurnai land in Victoria. Organisations such as GCCNI see a range of potential benefits from the closure of coal-fired power plants.

The Network was established in 2007 to effectively co-ordinate community, institutional and business networking to advance renewable energy. Their work also alleviates community apprehension about job losses, while working to ensure a thriving local economy. Their core mission is well-aligned to one of the main objectives of the Community Led Climate Solutions (CLCS) program – to provide support to communities navigating a just transition towards a socially, environmentally and economically vibrant and sustainable future – where no one is left behind.

With the support of a $20,000 CLCS grant, the GCCNI Gippsland New Energy ‘PowerPops’ project was able to activate one of their identified initiatives on their just transition journey. This initiative developed informative and engaging material that will enhance community awareness and understanding of ‘new energy’ opportunities. They are providing independent information and guidance on how the local community can engage and direct the outcome of these proposals. These resources included VR headsets offering virtual tours of renewable energy industries (e.g. wind farms), a listing of job opportunities and links to businesses.

By providing targeted information and resources, the project seeks to empower individuals to actively participate and benefit from the transition to renewable energy.

The second part of the project is disseminating resources at ‘pop up’ workshops hosted at community markets, shopping centres and/or school training expo sites. The locations were chosen to help reach individuals who, historically, have not been engaged in sustainability / new initiatives. By taking these workshops to locations where they’re most likely to be, particularly younger people, they hope to inform them.

A recent progress shared with FRRR reported that the VR displays are proving engaging, allowing for informative 350-degree experiences from local and overseas developers. They’ve also purchased a VR mini-game / training tool titled ‘Day in the Life of an Offshore Wind Tech’, and hosted 10 successful sessions across the Latrobe Valley and wider Gippsland region. Feedback and awareness sessions have been organised with groups including Venturer Scouts, Wellington Youth Council, Latrobe Valley Sustainability Group, Environment Victoria’s Action Network, Uplift Youth, and Gunaikurnai Aboriginal Land & Water Corporation. The organisation has had several offshore wind proponents keen to extend the program.

There is strong interest in future awareness events across the Gippsland region, both demonstrating the effectiveness of a locally-led and impactful climate solution project.