The Australian Greens have announced a plan to create new youth spaces across the electorate of Wills that would provide free accessible recreational places for young people and their families and safe spaces for young people to build social connection.
Many local families have raised the lack of a safe, free and accessible community space for young people in the area. To battle social isolation for young people, we need to create more free places for young people to go to spend their time meaningfully with each other.
So many families in our local area enjoy free access to the wonderful Don Bosco Youth Centre, but it is too far to travel for many families and is often full because young people really love what they offer there.
Many people in our community are telling me that it is getting harder to make ends meet. Out of school activities cost a lot and there are only a handful of free or low-cost spaces for young people to connect with each other.
At a time when our sense of community is fracturing and so many young people are disengaging from school, sport or social activities, these places are critical to supporting safer and healthier communities.
I will look to work together across levels of government, and with local charities and organisations, to create new free youth spaces.
Based on the successful Brunswick Don Bosco youth centre model that has been servicing the community for decades, the Greens will push for federal funding to establish the first three centres in Glenroy, Fawkner and North Carlton given its proximity to the CBD and concerns raised by the local community regarding youth engagement.
The youth spaces would be staffed by qualified youth workers who are able to connect young people and their families with important services when needed and their primary focus would be to provide local places for young people to hang out, enjoy themselves and build social connections for free.