National Youth Week celebrations commenced on Friday and in fitting with the occasion a number of activities will be available in Wellington between April 13-22.
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Mission Australia will participate in the Youth Fun Day at the Macquarie Regional Library carpark on Thursday by providing an eight-metre-high mobile rock wall. As well as providing service information, the event will provide an opportunity for young people aged 15-19 to participate in the charity’s annual Youth Survey.
Between 10am and 2pm, visitors to the community event will be treated to food and activities for the whole family and will have access to information about local services and the supports available to local young people and their families.
Mission Australia Co-ordinator, Heidi Lew said the Youth Week event offers an opportunity to raise awareness of youth homelessness and the supports that are available to local young people.
“We find it concerning that one of Mission Australia’s Youth Surveys indicated one in seven young people are at risk of homelessness,” Ms Lew said.
“While we see some young people sleeping rough in the region, we also know that many are also couch surfing because they believe they can’t return home.
Without the right local support, this can lead to long term homelessness.”
Ms Lew added that services participating in the event will work together to engage the young people in Wellington to ensure they have access to essential support and opportunities.
The Youth Survey will provide a snapshot of young Aussies to equip Mission Australia with evidence on how youth are faring in order to advocate for services and broader policy changes they need.
Visit www.missionaustralia.com.au/youthsurvey to take part in the survey. It closes on July 31 with results to be released in November.
Youth in Wellington are also being reminded of an outdoor screening of Cars 3 to be held at Kennard Park from 6pm on April 24.
As well as the movie, Uniting will be on hand to chat about its local programs such as Youth Hope, a child protection service for children aged between 9-15, and the Family Referral Service.
“Uniting wants to bring all families together and have fun in celebrating Youth Week,” Uniting Youth Hope Western coordinator Kieran Sivertsen said.
“Youth Week is an opportunity for young people to express their ideas and views, act on issues that affect their lives, and create and enjoy activities and events.”
The movie night will follow on from a Fast 4 Rolla Ball session between 2pm-4pm.
Test your skills as two teams go against the clock with a 1.8 metre giant soccer ball and obstacle course.
