By Jonty Ralphsmith
A not-for-profit social enterprise is providing a pathway for disadvantaged young people in Greater Dandenong.
Collective Impact, launched in late April, provides secure employment for youth in the region, helping to guide them into full-time careers after high school.
A mentoring program further ensures the youth are nurtured and their mental health is maintained.
Collective Impact offers services such as creating banners, booklets, catalogues, flyers, brochures and more providing youth with jobs in a region plagued by unemployment.
One in six people in the Greater Dandenong Council area are aged 12-25 years old, and the cultural diversity of the municipality poses a potential barrier to employment and resources; 70 per cent of young people speaking a language other than English at home.
The number of individuals aged 15-24 years not in either education or employment has increased in the region by 26 per cent from 2011-16 according to the Greater Dandenong Council’s youth and family strategy.
Reinforcing why Dandenong is such an at-risk area for youth, the report stated that 4.1 per cent of homes are considered overcrowded – the highest proportion in metropolitan Melbourne.
Social Impact is seeking to counsel and direct these at-risk youth before they become marginalised.
“We want to give them access to a consistent working week and a healthy environment for them to build skills,” said Collective Impact manager Allister Freeman.
“It’s a slightly grey area between leaving school and starting your working adult life and a few get lost in the transition.”
In the first two weeks, five businesses have come on board and it is expected most customers will be long-term, ensuring stability for those employed.
Another element of the program is giving 15 per cent of each sale’s profit to the Big Brother Big Sister Organisation which offers the one to one mentoring.
Print, design, marketing and distribution are the focus of their current services, but Mr Freeman said the enterprise is keen to gradually expand, without compromising the stability of the youths’ employment or putting them under undue pressure.
“We want to turn it into a familiar name in local business – if we can bring on a new business every two to three weeks – that would be excellent.”
“We’re open to taking it anywhere.”
