Youth Programs

Reconnect

Reconnect is an Early Intervention Youth Homelessness Prevention Program funded by the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services under the auspices of the Northern Rivers Social Development Council. Reconnect operates across the Northern Rivers with case managers located in the Clarence, Richmond Valley, Lismore, Ballina and Tweed. Reconnect case managers work directly with vulnerable and at risk young people (aged 12-18) who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, as well as their families. The Northern Rivers Reconnect client group priorities include ATSI Communities, low socio-economic and people with complex and multiple needs. Assistance provided may include individual or family counselling, coaching, mentoring, mediation, the development of community supports, referral to other services and use of brokerage funds for specialised services or practical needs. Reconnect also offers a variety of groups. Our Case Workers will outreach where necessary.
The service is flexible in supporting family reconciliation, access to accommodation, employment, education, training, life skills and personal development. The emphasis is on advocacy, empowerment and safety. On average the service takes on about 200 new clients per year, as well as maintaining ongoing client relationships.
The Northern Rivers Social Development Council Reconnect Service has five Case Managers conveniently located in offices in Lismore, Tweed Heads, Ballina, Casino and Grafton.

Click the following link to download a Reconnect brochure:

icon NRSDC Reconnect Brochure (245.28 kB)

Getting it Together

The Getting it Together program provides intensive support and case management to 12-18 year olds with alcohol and/or other drug misuse issues. The program aims to reduce alcohol and other drug misuse and help young people find opportunities for positive change in their life by:

The creation of ongoing positive family and community relationships
Building self esteem , personal growth and life skills
Addressing personal issues and health problems
Education on the impacts of alcohol and other drugs (AoD)
Promoting harm minimisation and AoD misuse reduction
Connecting young people to specialist services where appropriate.

Those eligible for the Getting it Together program are 12-18 year olds with alcohol and/or other drug misuse or abuse issues and people who want information about alcohol and or other drugs.

NRSDC Youth Programs values client privacy and self determination, to find out more just give us a call.

Rock and Water Program

The Rock and Water program is an anti-violence and anti-bullying strategy for young people. Through this program, NRSDC Youth Programs staff help vulnerable young people who are disengaged from the school system to build resilience and to prevent anti-social behaviour.

SWITCH

The Northern Rivers Social Development Council and YP Space Mid-North Coast formed a partnership in response to the Homelessness Action Plan, to manage and deliver the SWITCH Case Management Programs.

SWITCH comprises two programs: NRSDC Juvenile Justice Program and Young People Leaving Care (YPLC).

NRSDC Switch brochure.pdf

Young People Leaving Care

The Young People Leaving Care (YPLC) program is funded under the NSW North Coast Homelessness Action Plan. YPLC operates across the NSW North Coast (Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers) and provides intensive case management support to young people who have previously been in out of home care and who are at risk of homelessness.

NRSDC Juvenile Justice Program

The NRSDC Juvenile Justice program is funded under the NSW North Coast Homelessness Action Plan. The program operates across the NSW North Coast and provides intensive case management support to assist young people who are leaving juvenile justice custody to find stable long term accommodation.

These two programs will be provided to young people in the Local Government Areas of NSW, spanning the Mid North Coast to the Far North Coast. SWITCH provides Case Management services to young people aged 16 to 25 years who:

Are in OOHC or Foster/Kinship care and at risk of placement breakdown; or
Are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have previously been in a care placement.
Have previously been in a care placement and are involved with juvenile justice or adult corrections;
or SWITCH will assist young people by respectfully supporting the plans they have for their lives, focusing on developing connectedness with family and community. Through collaborative relationships with other services and relevant networks, appropriate supports where identified will be developed.

SWITCH will focus on building capacity and supports for young people transitioning to independence through:

Client Focused Strengths Based case work planning
Work collaboratively to establish leaving care plans
Assistance in accessing & maintaining appropriate accommodation.
Support young person to connect with family, community and cultural heritage.
Access to education and training programs
Assistance through access to brokerage
Support young people to access/process the content of their care file.
Information, advocacy and Referral
Work collaboratively with services on identified areas of Community Development

All referrals: Far North Coast: Damian (66 27 3939); Mid North Coast: Rochelle (65 63 1230).

Northern Rivers Youth Council

This project aims to build the self-esteem and capacity of young people by developing a representative council for young people in the region. For more information, contact Project Officer Meaghan Vosz on 6620 1221.

Youth Sector Development

The NRSDC Youth Sector Development Project aims to build capacity of youth services across the Northern Rivers to work more effectively with vulnerable and at risk young people.

Contacting NRSDC Youth Programs

For all NRSDC Youth Program contact details, click here.

Youth TV series seeks youth stories

DO YOU KNOW A YOUNG PERSON WHOSE LIFE CHANGED FOREVER IN JUST 24 HOURS? The producers of upcoming youth TV series ‘MY24’ are currently seeking open, honest young Australians aged 13-‐21 who want to be a part of an exciting television event that celebrates the extraordinary achievements of ordinary young Australians.
Read more...

ABC 2013 Junior Journalism Award

ABC Open North Coast is supporting the Northern Rivers Friends of the ABC in their 2013 Junior Journalism Award. ABC Open has a great new project called Video postcards which is perfect for the Awards program. To enter the Junior Journalism Award, participants need to be under 16 and create a video postcard that they upload to ABC Open’s Video postcard project page.
Read more...

Help young people with their unpaid fines

Work And Development Orders can help young people with unpaid fines and youth workers can make it happen! About $4 million dollars is owed to the SDRO in the Lismore region and surrounds which means every man, woman and child in the region owes the SDRO at least $113 each. As Youth Workers, you and the organisations you work for have the opportunity to assist the young people you work with to reduce their debts with the State Debt Recovery Office (SDRO) utilising the services you already provide them, by becoming "approved organisations" to deliver Work and Development Orders (WDO's).