Mornington Island receives funding to focus on education, culture, and creating jobs.

Mornington Island receives funding for activities designed to bring youth together with Elders to focus on education, culture, and creating jobs.

The young people of Mornington Island will get the opportunity to strengthen their cultural identity and explore their goals and aspirations with more than $850,000 supporting three activities for two years.

The funding from the Indigenous Advancement Strategy will deliver a Youth Hub activity ($370,000), an Engage Life and Learning activity ($280,000) and an On Country activity ($206,440).

Guided by the Council’s 5-year Implementation Plan, the activities will focus on education, engagement, and culture, and provide a platform for young people to share their stories, identify their goals and provide ongoing support and pathways to achieve them.

Mornington Shire Council, Mayor Kyle Yanner understands the importance of bringing the youth and Elders together, to create positive outcomes for the community.

“Our youth are our future, and the future has begun to shine a little brighter for Mornington Island children,” Mayor Yanner said.

“These activities are going to be so powerful to bring Elders and youth together, sharing traditional knowledge about bush tucker and sacred places, for the benefit of the whole community.

“Co-design is at the forefront of what we’re doing. These activities will be owned by our community, so I am confident that we will be delivering not only what is needed, but what will be engaged with and give us the positive outcomes we’re striving for.”

The activities have the added benefit of creating local jobs, with more Youth Support Officers delivering the activities.

Importantly, the activities will be designed with the Elders and the young people to make sure the programs are done right and there is a real sense of ownership over them.

The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, said these activities will help build confidence in young people and develop their sense of self and community when having the opportunity to learn from Elders.

“These programs will help them learn about their Country and how to care for it, as well as how to effectively live and work with each other,” Minister Burney said.

“They’ll provide rich opportunities for young ones to learn from their Elders, creating a strong future for the Mornington Island community."

The Youth Activities are expected to commence later this year once detailed plans are finalised.

The Mornington Island community will also benefit from the recent announcement that Council has successfully secured $2 million under the 2022-2024 Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program (LGGSP), to expand the Mornington Island Motel.

Council will be constructing 4 additional units and a new laundry facility at the Motel. This is a significant boost for the community and will provide an increased presence from service providers  and provide opportunities for tourists to visit.

The 2022-2024 LGGSP is a competitive, application-based grant program available to all Queensland councils. The program aims to support councils deliver priority infrastructure and essential services, and provides for a broad range of eligible projects.

Director of Peak Services Consulting, Brian Jackson, said his team is very proud to work with the Mornington Island Council and Community.

“Our team have assisted Council from concept to construction on a variety of projects over the years,” Mr Jackson said.

“These two projects were a direct result of Councils efforts to ensure good planning, advocacy and quality funding applications.

“We have been able to link their priorities across Councils strategies and plans, track their progress and now it’s fantastic to see so many of their priorities starting to be delivered.”

In recent years, the Peak Services consulting team have helped Mornington Shire Council with their Community Safety Plan, 5 Year Implementation Plan, Youth Development Plan and several project briefs, detailed project plans and procurement needs.

The Youth Activities and Motel Expansion have been a high priority for Mornington Shire Council and included on their 5-year implementation plan.

Council have worked hard to secure the funding for these important projects for the community. Council focus is now firmly set on ensuring they are well delivered.

Read the full media release on Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney's website: https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/burney/2022/two-years-youth-activities-mornington-island?fbclid=IwAR39wf3aanlbD0yhaVRTYgg5JFclAjfuLcP_InFDu0jTieGfAwRERNLM6IM