Get Back in the Game A Free Support Program For Disengaged Youth
- intouch Magazine
- Jun 2
- 2 min read
Do you know a young person aged 15 to 21 years of age who has completely disengaged from education, training or is not employed for more than 8 hours per week? Navigating your future can be daunting, especially if you’ve lost confidence or are experiencing difficulties that act as a barrier to engagement. For young people of the greater Hunter region, help is at hand.
The Get Back in the Game program, funded by the NSW Government and delivered by local not-for-profit organisation Career Links, aims to inspire and support disengaged youth across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens and the Hunter through one-on-one mentoring, career pathway planning, and support. Program Manager Kerri Sadler believes
it’s an amazing opportunity for young people who need help to move into work or further education and training.
“We currently have 92 young people registered in the program,” said Kerri.
“The most common barriers to engagement with school or employment are mental health issues, or issues around identity and culture or simply a lack of confidence. We recognise that school is not for everyone.
“The strength of our program is the ability of our youth mentors to build rapport. We operate from a Young Person Centred Approach, which basically means we listen, we hear them, we coach them, and we do it all with no judgements to help them on their career pathway.
“Of course, not every story is one of success, and this can be challenging for our youth mentors who put so much of themselves into their charges. We celebrate the small successes – every appointment met, the forms filled in, or an activity completed. And you never know what impact you’ve had on a person down the track.”
The program is voluntary and is not tied to any Centrelink payments or obligations. The program aims to help young people restore their confidence, build work readiness and life skills, and establish ongoing support for securing a positive framework for their future pathway.
For more information and to apply, visit www.careerlinks.nsw.edu.au/get-back-inthe-game.
