By Parker McKenzie
Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia, a youth mentoring service, will be expanding into the Yarra Valley with support from the council after launching a new south east team in Boronia,
Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia chief executive officer Mark Watt said the program has received funding from Yarra Ranges Council.
“We are looking at the Hills and getting a program running in that area,” he said.
“The council is supporting us to start looking at that as well.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia provides one-on-one, long-term and intensive mentorship, designed to respond to the individual needs of young people aged seven to 17.
Yarra Ranges Council director of communities Jane Price said Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia was one recipient of the 2022 Grants for Community.
“Their project will work closely with both the Yarra Ranges Council Youth Ambassadors and Youth Advisory Group, who have already identified the need for mentoring programs to support vulnerable people in the community, along with community organisations and schools, to run programs and offer mentorship, guidance and stability for those who need it,” she said.
“We are pleased to support their proposal through our annual Grants for Community, and look forward to working with them.”
The Grants for Community project supports community-based projects to build social and cultural life in the Yarra Ranges. Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia received a $9,881 grant from Yarra Ranges Council.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia also received $50,000 from the Victorian State Government for their program in Boronia.
