Council severs ties with YMCA program for teenagers
By VANESSA VALENZUELA
A BRIMBANK City Council decision to cut ties with a popular holiday program for teens has the community up in arms.
Brimbank council has decided to end the annual service agreement with YMCA Victoria for the provision of Teenage School Holiday Program – a program that’s been running for almost a decade.
The council will instead provide its own program through its Youth Services Team.
Young Brimbank residents who are against the decision have started up a ‘SAVE YMCA Youth Services Brimbank’ Facebook page which has had more than 430 ‘likes’ since its creation last week.
YMCA Brimbank volunteer Ayse Tanverdi told Star that staff at the centre had worked very hard to make the program successful for more than 50 young people who took part in the program each day over the Sumer school holidays.
“We have had many parents question and complain that the program is getting shut down asking where they can take their kids now, as the program is very affordable for low socio-economic families,” she said.
Resident Candice King said many parents rely on the program to keep their children entertained over the school holidays.
“I know that to cut the funding to this program will result in some of the youth of Brimbank missing out on this great program and hinder their development into positive members of society.”
Lukas Farfalla, who ran the holiday program for the last two years, said he was disappointed the council had decided to cut the program.
He said the program had helped many kids since it began nine years ago.
Brimbank Council’s Acting General Manager of Community wellbeing Neil Whiteside said council aims to provide accessible and inclusive youth programs to the young members of the community.
“Council’s decision to manage these programs directly is in line with council’s plan to provide greater program flexibility so that council can better address the emerging needs of young people in Brimbank,” Mr Whiteside said.
“The provision of programs will also require the involvement of volunteers and other support agencies, and council will liaise with YMCA Victoria to retain all existing volunteers who wish to continue their participation.”
YMCA Victoria’s Regional Development Manager of Youth Services James Wynd said: “We are disappointed not to be continuing the wonderful partnership that we have had with council, parents and the young people of Brimbank over the past nine years but the contract for us to provide holiday programs had ended.”
Residents told Star they will continue to show their support for the program and hope council will withdraw their decision.
