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Carnarvon PCYC Program Announced as Child Safety Awards Finalists

Announcement posted by WA Police & Community Youth Centres 26 Jun 2015

Constable Care Child Safety Awards announces Carnarvon PCYC's DIGS program as a finalist in the Community category

Carnarvon Police and Community Youth Centre’s (PCYC) Drop-in Girls Space (DIGS) program has been announced as a finalist in the Community category of the fourth Child Safety Awards 2015, announced by Constable Care Child Safety Foundation.

 

Constable Care Child Safety Foundation leads the way in the vital child safety sector in Western Australia and each award has been specifically designed to celebrate the endeavours and achievements of individuals, communities, corporate organisations, emergency service professionals, government agencies and education programs, which protect children and young people from harm, and promote a safer Western Australia for children and young people.

 

The DIGS program is aimed young girls considered highly at-risk, including those that are disengaged from school and/or known to local Police or Juvenile Justice Teams. The aim is to provide them with the opportunity to participate in structured activities to build self-confidence and life skills.

 

The program runs three days a week from 3-5pm and was developed in response to an identified need for a safe and supportive meeting place for young women, where they could participate in activities and access information.

 

 “Many of Carnarvon's young Aboriginal women are shy and do not speak up about issues that are affecting them, and are often intimidated when taking part in mixed gender activities,” said Centre Manager, Amosa Sipili, when asked why the program was developed.

 

“First and foremost, we want to provide a safe and welcoming environment for local young women, where they can feel comfortable expressing themselves,” he said.

 

In the program the participants receive: information on further education options, the ability to participate in recreation activities like swimming and dance, workshops on health and hygiene, and mentoring from professional women in the community, to both engage and empower them.

 

The DIGS program is based on concepts from the justice reinvestment model, which advocates for a focus away from detention, towards community-based programs and services that address the factors that contribute to offending in young people. The aim is to offer local young women an opportunity to improve lifestyle outcomes by developing self-reliance, independence and confidence in order to divert them from anti-social and criminal behaviour.

 

Constable Care Child Safety Foundation CEO David Gribble said the Awards play an important role in highlighting the ongoing need for child safety initiatives across the State.

 

“Congratulations to all those involved with the DIGS program. It has proved to be a really productive project and successful on so many levels, from the youngsters who attend to the wider community. This year we were blown away with the quality of the entries. The commitment by some individuals and organisations to help children and young people is astounding and very admirable. We hope these Awards will highlight such great work and inspire others to help make WA a safe place for our children, youth and communities”, explained David.

 

The difficult job of choosing the overall winners will be conducted by independent judging panels, who consist of leading child welfare professionals, corporate and educational stakeholders and others with a keen interest in children’s wellbeing.

 

Winners will be announced at the prestigious independent Awards ceremony on 1 August, held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. It is from the seven winning award entries the recipient of the esteemed Child Safety Award of the Year 2015 is determined.