Twenty-three community-led projects have been awarded a total of $208,000 to tackle the real, and at times confronting issues, faced by young Australians living in rural, regional and remote areas of the country.
Funded through the , these grants will bring to life ideas developed at the Heywire Youth Ideas lab. These projects will tackle a range of issues such as discrimination, youth-led peer support, multigenerational connection, mental health and career opportunities for young people.
These grants will mean that community organisations and local not-for-profits can implement community-led initiatives that will have a lasting impact.
Dre Ngatokorua is one of the grant recipients with Umeewarra Aboriginal Media Association based in Port Augusta, SA. They will be developing the Open Field Fest idea by growing the number of young First Nations artists participating in music festivals in their community through a skills development program.
“I can’t wait to bring the Open Field Fest idea to the Port Augusta community. We have many young people here who have so many creative abilities but not enough opportunities to showcase them. This grant will allow for our young people to share and develop these skills with their community, and beyond!”
The Managing Director of the ABC, David Anderson, said Heywire and the Youth Innovation Grants were an important part of the ABC’s continuing investment in regional Australia. “The ABC has just announced a boost to our regional services through our deal with Google and also one with Facebook which we are finalising now. Congratulations to everyone involved in this program and to all the grant recipients: your projects will bring positive changes to many lives in regional, rural and remote communities across Australia.”
Natalie Egleton, FRRR’s CEO, said she is impressed by how all those connected with the program managed to pivot to respond to COVID-19 conditions.
“Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ABC was unable to hold the usual Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra. Instead, they adapted and ran the first Heywire Youth Ideas Lab in Broken Hill. The determination of the young people of Broken Hill, and their willingness to make a difference inspired these projects, which will create meaningful change when it comes to mental health and wellbeing, skills development and equality in our remote, rural and regional towns.
“These grants highlight the importance of both providing support on the ground and ensuring that young people are driving the conversation about their priorities. These community-led initiatives, which all involve young people, will facilitate events, training and mentorship that will bring people together and ensure that our remote, rural and regional communities continue to thrive,” Ms Egleton said.
Youth Ideas Lab participant Emerson says that she feels proud to have been a part of a program that will make a difference for so many Australians.
“When we were telling our stories and developing our ideas at the Youth Ideas Lab, it was such an inspiring experience, but it was difficult to imagine our ideas actually being put into practice. Now, hearing and reading about all the wonderful projects that are going to actually happen because of the ideas that we brought to the table is amazing!”
The twenty-five projects will support young people in rural communities throughout Australia, ranging from as far north as Nganmarriyanga, an Indigenous community in the Northern Territory, with a population of 343, and Derby in Western Australia, to Coombabah in Queensland, Broken Hill in New South Wales, South Augusta in South Australia and as south as Beaconsfield in the North-East of Tasmania.
To date, through $1.2 million in community and philanthropic investment, the FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grants have helped to implement around 100 youth-developed projects in more than 160 communities.
Some of the 23 projects being funded are listed below:
- CareSouth Deniliquin – Deniliquin, NSW. Received $5,080 to develop the Support Squad idea by creating a youth peer support network that will run an art therapy mentoring program.
- Nganmarriyanga School Council Incorporated – Nganmarriyanga, NT. Received $10,000 to develop the Open Field Fest idea by developing students’ creative skills with song writing workshops that showcase community, culture and language.
- Heal.ed Tribe – Coombabah, QLD. Received $5,400 to develop the Contribute to the Change idea by Supporting young women with a lived experience of an eating disorder to share their story and reduce the stigma surrounding it.
- Umeewarra Aboriginal Media Association – Port Augusta, SA. Received $10,000 to develop the Open Field Fest idea by growing the number of young First Nations artists participating in music festivals in Port Augusta through a skills development program.
- Beacon Foundation – Hobart, TAS. Received $9,640 to develop the Discover your Future idea by encouraging secondary school students to adopt an entrepreneur mindset with a program to imagine, design and develop new businesses and products.
- Youth Live 4 Life – Maryborough, VIC. Received $10,000 to develop the Contribute to the Change idea by developing a network of youth who are trained in mental health first aid and knowledgeable about the support services available to them.
- Derby District High School – Derby, WA. Received $10,000 to develop the Discover your Future idea by developing youth skills in horsemanship to broaden their career aspirations and provide a pathway into the pastoral industry.
A full list of the projects funded can be found on the
