Provision of financial counselling services in the Hervey Bay and Bundaberg regions.
The Financial Counselling Service will support eligible people to navigate financial crises and build financial wellbeing, financial capability and resilience. This will be achieved by providing a high level of output to services to the unmet demand in the Hervey Bay and Bundaberg region, measuring out outputs, using benchmarking, comparing achievements against similar service providers. Support will help eligible people to address their financial problems, make informed choices and build longer-term capability to budget and manage their money through the provision of information, advocacy and/or negotiation on behalf of the client.
Sunshine Van Pilot Project will deliver a completely new service for the Hervey Bay region which will provide free mobile hot shower & clothes washing facilities for the disadvantaged and homeless. The service will be delivered in a purpose-built caravan which has been fitted out with washing machines, driers, and a hot water shower cubicle. The Sunshine Van will be located temporarily at Apex Park on the Hervey Bay Esplanade 3 mornings per week on Monday, Wednesday & Friday and will be delivered in conjunction with We Care 2’s free Community Breakfast program which is currently delivered at this location from 6.00 to 9.00 on these same days.
Beyond Boundaries: Queer Comic Writing will provide opportunities for young individuals 18-35 to participate in a series of workshops where they will write & design a comic based on their own lives and stories. The workshops aim to empower LGBTQIA+ individuals to increase confidence & self-esteem and positive social connection with peers, as well as greater awareness in the wider community through their stories. The project will also support preventive mental health for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Establishing an automotive training workshop adjacent to The Neighbourhood Hive complex in Pialba, to deliver entry level training targeting identified skill shortage areas. This bespoke pre-employment program has been designed to train jobseekers into the automotive sector (underbody suspension component, tyre fitting and wheel balancing, entry level skills).
Indigenous Women’s Cultural Healing Camps are a newly developed service that will be provided for Indigenous women that have experienced Domestic and Family Violence and other life traumas.
The camps will be delivered on the Fraser Coast (Hervey Bay) and/or in the surrounding areas.
Each Indigenous Women’s Healing Camp will run for 3 days and will be facilitated by specialists from DFV services, AOD services, education & employment and mental health services.
Activities include sharing cultural history and evidence-based, best practice programs to build strong, empowering, healthy relationships such as Shark Cage and Love Bites.
The overall aim of the healing camps is to improve Indigenous Women’s connection to culture, improve self-confidence and resilience, and to upskill Indigenous Women so they are equipped to make healthy choices for a bright future.
Livewell Hervey Bay is a 10-episode video series filmed in high-definition aimed at improving community education and support in Hervey Bay. The series will feature experts in their fields covering ageing community for seniors, mental health, youth, families, prevention, support services, homelessness, mentoring, health & wellbeing, and breaking the cycle in 40-45 minute episodes.
Livewell Hervey Bay aims to empower Hervey Bay residents with immediate access to support services, improved community inclusion and belonging, improved health and wellbeing, and improved self-development skills.
Delivery of Wellness Warriors weekly, free group fitness sessions over a 6-month period. The sessions will be aimed at improving participants physical, mental and emotional health, nutrition and hygiene, positive social connections, and self-confidence. Wellness Warriors will also feature the development of a long-term Fitness Library resource.
The Shine Bright for the Better project will involve the delivery of clinician support through 2 primary activities including mental health individual support and domestic violence group support.
The mental health activity will be delivered over a 5-month period to 5 clients that have chronic and enduring mental illness with the aim of supporting them into safe and stable community supports.
The domestic violence activity will provide a DV Group fortnightly group for 2 hours per session to 10-15 women with the aim of increasing education & knowledge around VPU, Centacare, DV Connect, Small Steps 4 Hannah. It will also involve the delivery of a DV DBT Therapy Group delivering 2-hour face-to-face group sessions for 12 weeks in Hervey Bay to 10-12 women.
The Frontline Worker Development Networks project will directly engage community support workers and create channels for information exchange, collaboration, professional development and capacity building in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay. This includes:
The Blurred Minds- Vaping Education project involves Bridges partnering with local schools in the delivery of parent and carer workshops, and teacher and school leader workshops in local Bundaberg and Hervey Bay Schools throughout Term 1 and 2, 2024. Blurred Minds workshops are 1-2 hours each and cover topics including:
The Community Centred Solutions project will deliver forums to community organisations with the view to breakdown silos and service barriers in the Bundaberg area with the aim to increase more timely and appropriate services to people needing support. The Bundaberg Neighbourhood Centre will partner with Wide Bay Kids to lead the project which will include:
The Hervey Advertiser will research and produce a monthly four-page magazine style section within the Hervey Bay Advertiser Newspaper titled ‘Our Community Voice’. The special section will also be supported in the second edition each month with a full-page Community Diary.
‘Our Community Voice’ will cover the available services that address social issues within our community, in particular the priority groups within scope of this project. It will be a vital link for directly impacted individuals as well as a strong awareness to the general community.
‘Our Community Voice’ will also be supported by a full-page Community Diary in the other fortnightly edition of the Hervey Bay Advertiser each month.
The Safe Seats project will provide nationally accredited safety seat trained staff to install child safety seats in vehicles of individuals and families in the Bundaberg area. Safe Seats will also provide access to child safety seats for short-term hire.
The Partner Up podcast will host interviews that explore alternative ways to approach how service providers and community work together to improve the accessibility and efficiency of service provision to people needing support. Podcast interviews will interview stakeholders (i.e. service providers & professionals) to discuss service provision and gain a deeper understanding of programs offered, referral pathways and waitlists. Podcasts will be recorded with local staff in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay.
Provision of a new service to Bundaberg of the Brave Places Safe Spaces initiative aiming to create safe and inclusive spaces for individuals and communities, especially vulnerable people with mental health concerns, suicide concerns, DFV and homeless. This will be established through partnerships with local businesses that are easily accessible, diverse and welcoming to people including First Nations community. Project delivery includes:
Delivery of an interactive workshop series that aims to educate and empower young women aged 13 to 25 years old as a priority and the wider community about healthy relationships, how to recognise red flags of domestic violence and coercive control and resources for seeking help. Workshops will be designed to be engaging, informative and conducive to open discussions. The workshop format will include 2 sessions including Building Health Foundations and Breaking the Cycle.
JT You Got This is a program supporting low to moderate at risk youth in school and community settings. The program assists young people 11-17 years old to build resilience and hope while preventing future contact with the justice system. The program can be tailored and delivered as either an intensive 4-day workshops or a 10-week (1.5 hours per week) program that provides a safe and positive environment. Key program topics include self-belief, leadership, teamwork, supporting each other, being bold, shining the light on others, brilliance, confidence, personal and goal setting and planning.
The COACH and STREETWORKS- Training Volunteers project will develop online training and information resources with the aim of increasing the number of volunteers trained as well as increase the awareness of the programs in the wider community. This includes the development of a website platform from which case studies, training resources, information resources, research and evaluations will be available.
B.E.A.T.S = Business, Entrepreneurial & Technical Skills for the music industry is a standalone program to be trialled in the Fraser Coast targeting hard to reach’ young people aged 10-17 years as well as working aged recipients who receive a Social Security payment/s. The focus of the program will be on increasing confidence and self-esteem and improving social skills by way of building capacity, technical and entrepreneurial skills around the music industry, such as production, pod casts, radio and business management. The program will be non-formal participation where youth workers will demonstrate positive interactions and prosocial behaviour as role models and mentors. BEATS uses music making as a means to engaged groups of disadvantaged and disengaged youth within a safe space where they can express a range of social and emotional difficulties they are experiencing using musical genres that feature a strong lyrical focus, such as rap or hip-hop, and the production of their creative project.
Delivery of 8x 4-week Introductory course in mindfulness and meditation with the aim of empowering participants with the skills and tools to better manage mental health conditions including anxiety and depression. The course will be held at various locations over the 4-week period with workshops held twice weekly and aimed at working aged recipients of social security payment/s and their children 14 years and older and the wider community.
Delivery of a series of 12 workshops including 4 focusing on child sexual abuse (recognising, responding and recovering for parent and educators), 4 focusing on selling self: awareness (safety and awareness for young people, parents and educators around platforms such as Only Fans and the realities of the industry), and 4 focusing on child sexploitation and sextortion (for young people, parents and educators. The workshops will be delivered from a motivational and lived experience perspective and also include written and online resources. Individualised support will further be delivered as required to assist workshop attendees and other community members around the topics as required. The aim of the workshops is to reduce stigma and taboos relating to child sexual abuse and child sexploitation/sextortion to encourage greater conversation and better support recovery with the vision that through reporting rates and promoting the voice of survivors, child sexual abuse can be eliminated.
Delivery of ASIST Suicide Prevention Training for the community. This utilises the LivingWorks Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day face-to-face workshop. ASIST is the world’s leading suicide intervention workshop with results supported by numerous evaluations and peer-reviewed studies. This project aims to address mental health challenges in the community by increasing people from the wider community’s willingness, confidence and capacity to provide suicide first aid.
Delivery of 6 Changemaker Workshops across Hervey Bay & Bundaberg focusing on collective leadership capability and networks with the aim of empowering community members to envision possible futures, work collaboratively and creatively, and mobilise others to make progress on areas of important in the Hinkler region. Workshops will facilitate outcomes for participants including strengthened leadership, enhanced resilience, innovative problem solving, empowerment, increased collaboration, sustainable development and knowledge.
Delivery of a 16-week Culture Club program in Hervey Bay aimed at helping First Nations young people improve their lives. Culture Club will help First Nations youth in Hervey Bay learn more about their Aboriginal & or Torres Strait Islander heritage, build confidence in their identity and improve their mental health and wellbeing under the guidance of Cultural Facilitators.
The Social 365 Project will engage with local community, sport and social groups in the Bundaberg region and develop digital and print media that showcases positive stories. The content will tell the stories and pathways individuals have taken to feel more supported and involved in their community, offering insights into the diverse social opportunities present in the region and the groups engaged with. The project aims to empower individuals aged 18-35 years old in Bundaberg to foster genuine social connection face-to-face in their community as well as raise awareness of the local community, sport and social groups in Bundaberg.
The Mental Health Art Workshops & Exhibition Project will provide art workshops led by local artists in the Hinkler region to people with mental health conditions and their carers/families/significant others. Workshops will be held once per week for 2 hours over a 5-week period. The project will culminate in the art works being exhibited along with celebration morning/afternoon teas for participants. All workshops are to be free for participants and all art materials supplied. Transport will also be provided to participants where needed.
The Options Day Project will deliver the Options Day community event to the Bundaberg Region focusing on promoting inclusion, diversity and equity. Options Day will engage the All Abilities Alliance consisting of volunteers living with disability to advise, plan and deliver the event at the Recreational Precinct in Bundaberg on Tuesday 10th September 2024. Options Day provides an opportunity for people with a disability and the wider community in the Bundaberg area to find, learn and connect to new and existing services in the region who may be able to support them or someone they know.
The Pre-Teen & Teen Girl Programs and Women’s Programs Menstrual Health project will provide workshops to each target cohort.
Pre-Teen & Teen Girl Programs (Sister’s Circle) will provide:
· Education and support providing information about the female body and changes that occur during and after puberty.
Women’s Programs (Women’s Circle) will provide:
· Education and support providing information to women on the menstrual cycle and hormonal shifts.
The programs will be delivered in person and aim to support better mental health, self-acceptance, body-acceptance and self-awareness of participants.
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