Thousands of Northern Rivers youth and at least 75 schools are expected to benefit from a $10 million-dollar federal government grant aimed at strengthening community resilience.
The money has reportedly been invested in a new program called Resilient Kids, recently launched in support of the health and wellbeing of young people aged eight to 18 years in the wake of the 2022 Northern Rivers disasters.
Federal health agency Healthy North Coast says staff have co-designed the program with children, young people, schools, families, and service providers from across the region.
Healthy North Coast CEO Monika Wheeler says staff looked at information collected in a survey about resilience from 6,611 children and young people.
‘The survey results told us that physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, personal safety and reducing risks, a sense of social identity and engagement with learning were all extremely important to young people,’ Ms Wheeler said via media release this week.
Six new ‘Wellbeing Hubs’ to be setup for Northern Rivers youth
The program is to be delivered in three streams focussed respectively on schools, small communities and First Nations youth.
Local not-for-profit organisation Social Futures, most often referred to in media with respect to its work in community and social housing, is to deliver the school and small community based program streams in partnership with The Family Centre and Human Nature Therapy.
Social Futures CEO,Tony Davies was quoted saying Social Futures had been part of the recovery from the beginning and was well aware that many young people in the region were still doing it tough.
Social Futures is to lead six ‘Wellbeing Hubs’ across the region as part of the program.
The hubs are to provide services and activities including counselling services for youth and their families, peer-to-peer supports, group supports, and help connecting young people with other mental health and wellbeing services.
Funding is to be made available for small-scale place-based activities that build connection and wellbeing and respond to emerging needs across the region.
More information is available via https://socialfutures.org.au/resilient-kids/ and at hnc.org.au/resilient-kids.
