Media release
18 July 2005

Youth service comes to town

The Waitakere Youth Transition Services is opening a resource centre on the ground floor of the John Henry Centre at 10 Pioneer Street in Henderson from 28 July.

The shop-front location will be a starting point for teenagers between 15 and 17, who are not engaged in education or work, to find a job or to start further training or tertiary study.

“The Youth Transition initiative is for any young people who do not have a clear plan when they leave school,” says Councillor Ewen Gilmour, Waitakere City Council Advocate for Child and Youth.

“Often people need a helping hand so they don’t fall down the cracks. The service and the youth resource centre will encourage young people to feel a sense of entitlement and to access information on youth issues and services”.

“They’ll be able to do a CV, use the facilities to search for jobs, and go to skills workshops. This will be somewhere they can meet their mentors and take some serious steps towards building a real future,” he says.

The Waitakere Youth Transition Services has been developed by the Ministry of Social Development with Waitakere City Council. The service is delivered by Youth Horizons in partnership with Hoani Waititi Marae and the Waitakere Community.

Mentors are sought for the programme. Full training is given: 21 hours over seven weeks. No formal qualifications are necessary but volunteers will be expected to give references and undergo a police check.

To contact the Waitakere Youth Transition Services ph 0800 WEST UP (0800 937 887) or email waitakere@youthorizons.org.nz. For more information about mentoring, please contact Caitlin Bush, Mentor Coordinator, ph (09) 835 1176 or email caitlinb@youthorizons.org.nz

ENDS

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