By Aaron Cordy
THE Education First Youth Foyer in Shepparton is celebrating 10 years of supporting young people in finding a stable place to live and achieving their education goals on Friday, July 17.
Berry Street and Beyond Housing Network, in partnership with GOTAFE, manages the Foyer in Shepparton, which houses 40 young people aged 16-24 in self-contained units. Over 370 young people have had their lives changed for the better after spending time at the Foyer.
Connection is a big focus of the Foyer for their young people. They work to build social capital alongside supporting them in their education and employment pathways, so they can have sustained success after leaving the program, which is evident in the work the Foyers have done in the community after leaving the program.
“It’s a celebration of how many young people we’ve had through and the aspect of being a real community program. We’ve had a lot of people come in and help, and we’ve had a lot of young people that have gone out and participated in the community,” said Senior Manager of Open Dialogue & Youth Foyer Anita McCurdy.
“At the start we were always talking about building social capital for young people, but we probably didn’t expect it to be so positive. It’s been amazing in terms of how well we’ve gone for those 10 years within the community.”
If you’re interested in supporting the Education First Youth Foyer in Shepparton so they can continue their great work for another 10 years and beyond, you can contact them on 0438 716 974 or foyershepp@berrystreet.org.au.
