Canterbury-Bankstown

$3,139,000 has been approved to the Canterbury-Bankstown community for a range of crime prevention and community development strategies over three years from 2002 to 2005.

All of the initiatives funded in the Canterbury-Bankstown have been identified through working with the local community.

Community organisations, local government, relevant Federal and State Government agencies worked to together to find solutions to priority issues affecting Canterbury-Bankstown. Between May 2002 and August 2002 the Premier’s Department met with community organisations and government service agencies to identify priority issues that needed to be addressed and to agree on initiatives that would assist to solve those issues.

The strategies are linked to other Government initiatives operating in the area including the Arabic Youth Partnership, Canterbury-Bankstown Place Management Project and the establishment of a Partnership with Pacific Islander Communities.

The initiatives will address these issues identified by the community:

• Crime and community Safety
• Family support
• Youth support and mentoring
• Alcohol and other drugs
• School attendance and retention
• Employment
• Community harmony between diverse cultures
• Improve coordination of Government services

The initiatives that will support community development and crime prevention in Canterbury-Bankstown are:

• $40,000 to implement the “U Turns 4 Youth” program which comprises a series of 10-week programs for 60-80 young offenders and potential young offenders in relation to car crimes.
• $794,000 to implement a team based approach to integrated case management and provide bi-lingual Family Violence casework and family programs to linguistically diverse communities. The project will also increase their exposure to culturally appropriate messages regarding the criminality of Family Violence and its impact on children and families.
• $150,000 to conduct a range of sport based programs to develop self management, leadership and relational skills in young people from a diversity of backgrounds and increase their participation in community activity. Potentially targeting approximately 1300 children and young people and 600 families.
• $58,000 to further develop and document best practice models and to conduct structured programs with 60 at-risk 12-18 year olds per week in South Bankstown and address gender relationship issues.  The program will also facilitate the role of young people as community builders and provide referral into other initiatives.
• $18,000 towards the production and local implementation of a video and resource kit for Vietnamese parents in relation to young people using illicit drugs.
• $430,000 to employ two school based family support and community development workers to increase family and school support for students of Pacific Island background and increase school attendance by students in Years 5-9 across 12 schools. Direct support will be provided to 100 families and 250 young people.
• $456,000 to provide case management for 120 to 200 at risk students or unemployed young people aged 15-18 years and provide them with access to integrated training and employment programs that are culturally appropriate.
• $160,000 to deliver culturally appropriate community education strategies aimed at improving parents and students understanding of education and employment options that may be available to them, especially in modern manufacturing and government/community careers. Targeting Arabic, Pacific Islander, Vietnamese and other communities.
• $45,000 to establish a network of Arabic and Korean employers through seminars, training, mentoring and forums to better involve employers in a range of youth employment strategies.  Resources will assist business growth to provide more local employment opportunities and for entrepreneurial at-risk young people will be connected with entrepreneurial projects, courses & mentoring to improve their readiness for employment and enterprise.
• $508,000 to establish a Round Table of adult and youth representatives from local communities to enable joint planning and delivery of community/harmony building initiatives.  Led by the Community Relations Commission, funds will enable the development of joint projects that build community capacity through the implementation of mentoring, leadership and media training.
• $60,000 to produce and deliver a Community Harmony resource kit to incorporate a recently completed video and oral history package as a resource for schools, employers and community organisations to assist them to conduct their own Community Harmony initiatives.
• $40,000 to establish a NSW Youth Partnership with Pacific Island Communities which will address issues affecting Pacific Islander youth in a similar way that the successful Arabic youth partnership has in this area.
• $380,000 to extend the Place Management Project for Canterbury-Bankstown and to manage the implementation of initiatives, continue to build the level of coordination of government and community services, identify strategic opportunities or needs for further action in the community.