A staged approach to supporting the community safety

Empowering communities brings the community together to listen and respond to community concerns and ideas on how to tackle local issues that impact on crime and safety. The program is implemented in stages over a three year period.

Project progress timeline

The timeline shows that the common goal is now agreed

 

Building Safer Communities Forum 

The Brimbank Forum was held online in November 2020, building on the collective wisdom of young people and local stakeholders to consider issues that impact young people in Brimbank. The key themes identified were:

  • youth boredom and the need for healthy spaces for young people
  • racism and its effect on getting employment
  • a desire for schools to facilitate and celebrate connection to culture, and
  • a strong sense of community pride held by youth representative.

Watch the Brimbank Community Forum video:

Action Group established 

The Brimbank Action Group was established in May 2021, bringing together key services and other stakeholders. The Action Group is responsible for connecting the initiative to the broader community and overseeing its implementation. 

Brimbank Action Group Organisations

The following organisations are represented on the Action Group:  

  • Youth Junction Inc. 
  • Brimbank City Council 
  • West Justice 
  • Centre for Multicultural Youth 
  • Victoria University Secondary College St Albans
  • AAFRO 
  • IPC Health 
  • Cohealth 
  • Charis Mentoring 
  • Victoria Police  
  • Department of Education & Training 
  • Department of Justice & Community Safety

Common goal agreed 

Drawing on the themes established in the forum, the Action Group identified the link between youth entering the Criminal Justice System and disconnection across five key positive life domains including culture, community, education, family and employment.

The Action Group agreed to focus on strengthening and providing opportunities for connections to these domains to reduce likelihood of young people entering the justice system.

Empowering Communities Brimbank’s goal is to maximise the life potential of young people in Brimbank by connecting or reconnecting them to culture, community, education, family and economy and reducing pathways into the youth justice system.

Coordinating organisation 

Empowering Communities in Brimbank was initially coordinated by Brimbank City Council, which remain a key member of the Action Group.  

The initiative is now coordinated by Youth Junction Inc. You can contact the Action Group via Jo Malcolm-Black, Chief Executive Officer at jmalcolm-black@youthjunctioninc.net.au (External link)

Round 1 guidelines

Read the guidelines for round 1.