Mayfield Youth Action Group wins major award
In another compelling vote of confidence in Northern youth, the Mayfield Youth Action Group were joint winners of the Group Innovation Award in the 2005 Tasmanian Crime Prevention and Community Safety Awards.This prestigous award was presented to MYAG members by the Deputy Premier at Parliament House in November and was made even more meritorious in that it was shared with the excellent Chance on Main youth project at Moonah.
See theTasmania Police website for further details.
MYAG is made up of local Mayfield youth, youth workers and interested members of the general community and aims to break down barriers between the generations through recreational and educational activities that motivate and equip community leaders, individuals and the community as a collective to join together in nurturing competent, caring and responsible young people.
The Crime Prevention and Community Safety award was presented to the group specifically for their work on the Active Communities-Health Youth Project. Funded under the Department of Health and Human Services Affordable Housing Strategy, the activities based program included a diverse range of activitis for young people and their families.
Examples included:
• ‘Get out of the Suburbs’ – a program designed to encourage youth to ‘get out of the suburbs’ on a monthly basis to enjoy outdoor ventures and activities; and
• ‘Eating with Families’ – this program enabled 70 people to sit down and share a healthy meal with their families.
The outcomes achieved were equally numerous and included:
• several young people gaining sufficient self confidence to go on to secure sustainable employment.
• a marked reduction in crime rates.
• the development of social support networks for young people where they previously didn't exist.
This well regarded project also won an award in the Launceston Children's Week awards in October.
The challenge now for MYAG and the Active Communities-Healthy Youth project is to secure ongoing funding to continue to assist the youth of Mayfield and to translate the many successes of this project into other key areas of need such as Ravenswood on a continuing basis.
This is only likely to occur if sufficient political pressure is brought to bear. I urge you to write to your State MHAs for Bass and/or the Federal MHR for Bass.
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posted by Alan Melton @ 9:15 am
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