Engaging in work and education brings purpose and value into our everyday lives and is especially important for young people as they shape their pathway to independence.
Structure, self-understanding, increased inspiration and independence are just some of the benefits we gain from partaking in work or education.
Without participation in one or the other, this can contribute to future unemployment, insecurity, poor physical and mental health, family disruption, and decreased social participation for young people.
In May 2020, 12% or 391,000 young Australians were not engaged in education, employment or training*.
The pathway to connect with education, training or employment may leave young people feeling overwhelmed, however there are supports available to help navigate the process such as CatholicCare Victoria’s Empower Youth program.
The Empower Youth program supports young people from 15-25 years old to improve health and wellbeing, develop training and career pathways and become active within the community.
Youth are celebrated nationally during the week of 4-14 April each year, and this year we are highlighting our Empower Youth program, celebrating the participants and recognising their contribution and achievements.
Youth Worker Daniel Ward explains, “The Empower Youth program is exactly as what the name states it is - empowering young people. Assisting a young person to identify barriers and to break those barriers down. To identify their strengths and goals and empower the young person with support to achieve.”
Empower Youth provides holistic and non-judgemental support and is flexible around each participants’ needs.
Daniel explains the process, “Firstly, I sit with the young person and we go through setting some goals – the first goal is to shoot for the stars and identify what is an ideal end goal. Then we drop the bar down – look at where they are currently at – set some steps, actions and smaller goals in between that can be achieved, and soon enough that end goal that may have seemed so far away is much closer to achieve, having it broken down and taken one step (or goal!) at a time.”
Having goals to focus on and a pathway in place to work towards education or employment, other positive outcomes such as health and wellbeing often follow,
“Having that goal can bring everything else together. I have seen participants that struggled to find purpose to get out of bed in the morning - then with a goal to work towards, comes routine, healthier eating habits and a sense of responsibility. They then find purpose and that reason to get out of bed,” said Daniel.
The last two years have brought uncertainty, and this may have affected the mental health and confidence of many young people in our community. Navigating the ever-changing environment of COVID and processing the overabundance of disheartening news in the media, youth may feel apprehensive about entering the workforce or returning to on-site study. Empower Youth can assist young people with building resilience, managing anxiety and providing hope.
Daniel explained what success looks like in the program, “I have some participants now that I call and their reply is ‘I’m sorry it’s hard to find the time to chat, because I’m so busy with work and living my life’. And that is great, that’s a real achievement on its own – being so busy in their everyday life that they don’t require the assistance of the program anymore.”
Support for program participants ranges from preparing a resume and cover letter, to developing routine habits such as setting an alarm to wake up. The support is tailored to each individual’s needs. The program focuses on guiding the participant rather than completing the task at-hand for the individual, which brings upon responsibility, knowledge and a sense of empowerment and achievement.
“I look at the program as supporting an injured bird back to full health, then when they are ready, allowing that bird to spread its wings and fly away,” shares Daniel.
Empower Youth is provided in the Geelong and Barwon region, and young people aged 15-25 can access the service by contacting our Geelong office. Empower Youth is a free service, and no referrals are required.
Contact our Geelong office on (03) 5221 7055
LEARN MORE ABOUT EMPOWER YOUTH
Sources:
Daniel | Youth Worker
Jenny Phillips | Communications Officer - External Communications Lead
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