The Andrews Labor Government is continuing to invest in Victoria’s South Sudanese community, supporting young people and encouraging prevention and diversion away from the youth justice system.

Organisations Sudanese Mothers Coalition and South Sudanese Minds will receive $50,000 each in funding from the Labor Government to support its efforts in preventing South Sudanese Australian children and young people’s contact with the criminal justice system.

Sudanese Mothers Coalition is delivering the project ‘Impact Initiative’.

Impact Initiative will provide funding for South Sudanese Mothers to cook together and provide meals to young South Sudanese Australians involved, or at risk of involvement, with youth justice. The Sudanese Mothers Coalition will deliver monthly food relief activities in West and South Metropolitan Melbourne over twelve months.

South Sudanese Minds is delivering the project ‘Culture Party and Mental Health Training’.

The Culture Party is an event celebrating South Sudanese Australian talent and will include live interviews with artists and guests about mental health and wellbeing.

Mental Health Training will include:

• Mindfulness Monday, a regular meeting for young people to check in and reflect on the week and their wellbeing with the support of peers and a counsellor.
• Free counselling sessions with an Ethiopian Australian or South Sudanese Australian counsellor for up to 20 South Sudanese Australian young people.
• Culturally safe and relevant mental health training for 20 young South Sudanese Australians to create a network of South Sudanese Australians with mental health training.

The Labor Government has invested $500,000 for six community programs and has just opened an additional round of community grants worth $400,000.

Other organisations receiving funding include African Youth Initiative, Nas Recovery Centre, NextGen Unite, and Stand Out Youth Empowerment.

Applications for the new $400,000 grant round will focus on programs that fund and support projects that strengthen South Sudanese Australian young peoples’ connection to community and culture through sports, arts, education, training, and pathways to employment.

These grant rounds support the ongoing work of the South Sudanese Australian Youth Justice Expert Working Group and continue the Andrews Labor Government’s commitment to work closely with Victoria’s South Sudanese community.

The Expert Working Group will empower South Sudanese Australian leaders and community organisations to run programs, interventions, and support services for young people to help prevent contact with the youth justice system.

To bolster the working groups capabilities, the Government has appointed the South Sudanese Australian community and church leader Reverend Deacon George Piech Meat, as Chair of the South Sudanese Youth Justice Advisory Group.

For more information about the Grants and the South Sudanese Australian Youth Justice Expert Working Group, visit justice.vic.gov.au/SSAYJ.

Quotes attributable to Member for Laverton Sarah Connolly

“South Sudanese Australians are a valued part of Victoria, and these projects will help ensure youth are connected to the community with access to systems of support.”