Youth Community Connections Initiative

The Foundation for Young Australians, in partnership with the Enterprise and Career Education Foundation (ECEF), is offering between $40,000 and $80,000 to five groups of young people as part of the Youth Community Connections initiative.

The five successful groups will become youth-led grant-making group in their community. Their task will be to identify and address key issues for young people and allocate funds to projects that will create opportunities or enhance youth participation in the community.

Jill Hollingworth, the External Relations Manager for the Foundation for Young Australians says this initiative is a fantastic opportunity for groups of young people to take an active leadership role, and be catalysts for change within their community.

Hollingworth says it is also a great opportunity for community groups and local governments to work in partnership with these young people to make a positive difference for their communities.

Each Youth Community Connection will work in a specific geographic area and which, over time:
 resources community activities;
 undertakes community leadership and partnership activities to address a wide variety of needs in its service area;
 develops and builds community connectedness through establishing positive relationships with all key community stakeholders;
 provides services to their local community; and
 builds a collection of endowed funds from many donors.

The lead applicants, being a group of young people who may or may not be from a school or community organisation will apply in partnership with their local government and/or local community agency/service clubs to identify and address key issues of concern in their community. It is hoped that each Youth Community Connection will develop into a long term, sustainable and independent Foundation.

Hollingworth says this initiative gives young people a voice, and the money to back it!

Applications close at 6pm on Friday 2 May 2003.
If you would like an electronic copy of the guidelines and an application form just send us an e-mail to probono@probonoaustralia.com.au.