Community Centres for Young Australians

The Prime Minister and the Minister for Youth Kate Ellis announced funding of $10 million to support the development community youth centres in priority employment areas on Thursday 22 October.

The centres will be combined arts, business and community youth centres to encourage community based activities. The centres will provide a safe place for young people to socialise as well as develop their skills in education, training and employment.

To meet community needs it is expected that local young people will be actively engaged in the design and construction of the centres. Funding may be directed to construction of new centres in some communities and to refurbishment of existing facilities in others.

The five centres will be located in priority employment areas where Local Employment Coordinators have been appointed by the Australian Government to support communities hardest hit by the global recession. The Local Employment Coordinators will support local government, businesses and the community in the development of the centres.

Frequently asked questions about the Community Centres for Young Australians.

Who is going to provide the funding for the Youth Community Centres?
The Australian Government will fund the development (construction of new facilities, or refurbishment of existing facilities) of a joint arts, business and community centre for young Australians in of five locations in identified Priority Employment Areas.

Where is the funding coming from?
The costs of construction of new facilities, or refurbishment of existing facilities for these centres will be funded as part of the Australian Government’s $650 million Jobs Fund.

How much funding will be provided for the Centres?
Each centre will be supported with up to $2 million. Preference will be given to projects that can demonstrate a contribution of funds, or in kind contributions from other corporate or community partners.

A total of up to $10 million will be provided across this financial year and 2010-11.

Projects will only be selected if they demonstrate strong ongoing commitment of funding contributions from other corporate or community partners to ensure sustainability.

Will young people be involved in the design and construction or refurbishment of these centres, as well as the ongoing running of the programs offered?
The new centres will give young people training and jobs in the design and construction phase.

Once they are built, the centres will provide opportunities for young people to participate in and engage with their communities, including developing skills that will support them in education, training and employment.

Centres will also support young people to make important connections, including with their peers, appropriate adults and services, and will provide a safe place for them.

Which communities are expected to benefit from getting this funding?
Priority Employment Areas are in both Regional and Outer Metropolitan areas. It is expected (depending on the Regions selected for projects) that there would be a positive impact on regional Australians.

The project is expected to have a positive impact on families by increasing the ability of young people to participate in and engage with their communities, and develop skills that will support them in education, training and employment.

The project is also expected to have a positive impact on local small business by increasing the ability of young people to develop skills that will support them in employment.

How will these Youth Centres maximise the Government investment and connect with the local community?
The creation of Youth Focussed Arts, Business and Community Centres was one of the top ten ideas from the Youth 2020 Summit.

Young people saw these centres as providing linkages between them, the arts, the community sector and private enterprise, particularly with regard to encouraging entrepreneurship and community-building activities for young people.

To maximise the effectiveness of these centres and maximise direct Government investment, these centres will build upon existing services and efforts.

Projects will only be selected if they demonstrate strong ongoing commitment of funding contributions from other corporate or community partners to ensure sustainability.

How soon will the work begin on the Five Youth Centres?
Work on selecting the sites for the centres will commence immediately, and they will be completed by the end of June 2011.

How will the five locations be selected?
The five locations will be selected from the twenty identified Priority Employment Areas.

Priority will be given to projects in areas experiencing high levels of youth disadvantage and most affected by job losses among young people.

The building or refurbishment of the centres will be an important element of the Jobs Fund which forms part of the Australian Government’s Jobs and Training Compact to support families and communities most affected by the global economic recession.

The Project locations will be assessed as part of the Jobs Fund which aims to support and create jobs and skill development through projects that build community infrastructure and social capital in local communities.

Who will be eligible for funding to build or refurbish these Youth Centres?
Eligible organisations will include non-profit and community organisations, employment services providers and local, state and territory governments.

Key criteria for selection will be that locations are able to demonstrate that the entities involved are viable and ready to start, and will be self-sufficient and not require Commonwealth funding beyond 30 June 2011, as funding will not extend past 2010-11.

What will successful proponents be required to do?
Apart from committing to build or refurbish a youth centre and engage locally for services and activities to be supported, successful proponents will be required to submit project milestone or other reports as specified in the relevant Funding Agreement that will be the means by which funds are paid.

At the conclusion of each project, proponents will be required to submit a final report, giving evidence that the project was completed in the specified manner, certifying the number and types of jobs created as a result of the project, the usual financial acquittal reports and a certificate and audited register of assets.

What are Priority Employment Areas?
As part of the Australian Government’s Jobs and Training Compact, Priority Employment Areas have been selected based on an analysis of various labour market indicators, a combination of which increase a region’s likelihood of experiencing disadvantage now or in the future.

Where are the Priority Employment Areas?
Twenty regions have been identified as Priority Employment Areas. These are:

  • Canterbury-Bankstown and South Western Sydney (New South Wales)
  • Illawarra (New South Wales)
  • Richmond-Tweed and Clarence Valley (New South Wales)
  • Mid-North Coast (New South Wales)
  • Sydney West and Blue Mountains (New South Wales)
  • Central Coast-Hunter (New South Wales)
  • South Eastern Melbourne (Victoria)
  • North Western Melbourne (Victoria)
  • Ballarat-Bendigo (Central Victoria)
  • North Eastern Victoria
  • Ipswich-Logan (Queensland)
  • Cairns (Queensland)
  • Townsville-Thuringowa (Queensland)
  • Caboolture-Sunshine Coast (Queensland)
  • Southern Wide Bay-Burnett (Queensland)
  • Bundaberg-Hervey Bay (Queensland)
  • Northern and Western Adelaide (South Australia)
  • Port Augusta-Whyalla-Port Pirie (South Australia)
  • South West Perth (Western Australia)
  • North West/Northern Tasmania

How were the Priority Employment Areas selected?
The Priority Employment Areas have been selected based on an analysis of various labour market indicators, a combination of which increases a region’s likelihood of experiencing disadvantage now or in the future. As part of this process, weight was given to a range of characteristics and/or criteria including the following:
  • those regions that already face high levels of labour market disadvantage and a high unemployment rate
    those regions displaying a notable increase in Centrelink unemployment beneficiary numbers since the onset of the global recession and which may be ‘at risk’ of employment losses and increases in unemployment as the slowdown takes full effect
  • those regions that already have a high proportion of their population on Centrelink benefits
  • those regions whose population has poor educational attainment levels/low skills
  • those regions which, in previous downturns, experienced entrenched disadvantage or a significant lift in the unemployment rate, and
  • those regions with a high concentration of industries that are likely to exhibit or are already exhibiting a significant decrease in employment (or rise in unemployment) due to the global recession (e.g.: those with high concentrations of Manufacturing, Financial and Insurance Services, Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services, Mining or Accommodation and Food Services).

Information about the Prime Minister’s Australian Youth Forum (AYF) Challenge is available on the AYF website.

Australian Government - Youth Related websites (external links)