July 2022 marked a new era in support of youth unemployment in the South Burnett.
yourtown opened their new office in Kingaroy to deliver the Workforce Australia youth unemployment program – Transition to Work.
Established in 1961, yourtown has been providing services to Australia’s children and young people.
We exist to help young people when they are at their most vulnerable and support them in identifying and creating the path they want for themselves.
We remain one of Australia’s most trusted organisations with more than six decades of experience – today yourtown services include providing mental health support, preventing youth suicide, creating and running refuge and broader support for people experiencing Domestic and Family Violence, providing support for young parents and providing support for unemployed young people.
As a youth-specialist, yourtown was successful in their bid to deliver the TtW program to unemployed youth aged 15-24 in the Wide Bay region, with offices opened in Bundaberg, Childers, Pialba, and our Kingaroy, South Burnett community.
The program focuses on supporting young people tackling barriers to their employment beyond just resume writing. It includes working to address health concerns, build confidence, gain licences, and further education, all with the end goal of supporting them to find suitable, sustainable employment. Both the young person and the employer receive ongoing support once they find the right fit.
Matthew Vels, yourtown business manager who is leading the program in the South Burnett is a local who grew up in Kingaroy himself, understanding the suffering firsthand on what it is like to be a youth within the community and the challenges he faced.
With yourtown being a new service in the South Burnett, it was important that they selected local employees who have all worked and lived within the region for majority of their lives.
The team offers incredible wrap around support including onsite Job Coaches, a Youth Worker, Counsellor, Indigenous coach, employment marketer and a youth guide. All specialised roles to deliver the best service possible for their members.
The head office for yourtown in Kingaroy is at 1/16 Alford Street, although are supporting outreach for the whole of the South Burnett region, including working out of the Barambah Youth Services Hub in Murgon on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Kingaroy yourtown site is an incredible space that was designed specifically by gaining feedback from young people themselves on what they would like to see when they attend a youth employment support service.
This was an integral part in creating the space we have today, and it includes a yarning circle, comfortable booths, a training room dedicated to host accredited training courses, free food, a device charging station, workshops, cultural workshops, games, cooking classes, a place to study and free Wi-Fi.
yourtown is open 9am – 5pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Fridays. While on Thursdays being open 9am – 7pm with extended hours for youth to come hangout, play games, share a meal and enjoy specific themed nights and various activities each week.
