Youth 2 Youth
About the program
Youth 2 Youth is a peer-education program designed to strengthen the leadership and communication capacity of newly-arrived youth from African backgrounds to engage with other youth and support them in achieving better settlement outcomes. It was developed from a need to support disengaged youth from African backgrounds so that they can make informed choices about their own settlement.
Youth 2 Youth employs a community development approach to working with young African refugees and immigrants residing in the Western suburbs of Melbourne and it has been successfully running since August 2010 at the African Australian Community Center in Footscray.
Who is eligible?
African youth living in Western Melbourne SSD
Features
The program supports youth through the provision of training that enhances their capacity to facilitate workshops for other disengaged young people in their communities. The workshops involve brokering accurate and relevant information on a variety of topics that identify barriers to settlement and explores positive settlement processes. The purpose of these workshops is to help youth anticipate issues they may face as newly-arrived young people to Australia and support them in building strategies to address complex settlement situations as they arise.
Youth 2 Youth also incorporates a mentoring component for peer educators which has been vital in developing supportive networks in the broader community and increasing social interaction by linking youth with mainstream organisations and support services. The combined approach of training and the involvement of mentors aims to enhance the confidence of peer educators.
The program also involves running youth-led community performances and art-based activities in partnership with Brimbank Youth Services. Community connectedness is enhanced through an eight week Stylin’ Up fashion project and Hip-Hop dance classes.
In 2011/2012 the Youth2Youth program will run a soccer activity project in partnership Jesuit Social Services.
Partners
Brimbank Youth Services
Maribyrnong City Council
Jesuit Social Services
Congo Angola Association
Contact Us
Brotherhood of St Laurence
African Australian Community Centre
Youth2Youth Program
30-32 Pickett Street, Footscray Vic 3011
P: (03) 9687 9577
Email: aacc@nullbsl.org.au