Significant efforts have also been made to improve crime prevention efforts and address community safety in Moree since the announced intervention that brought the Premier to Moree earlier this year.
Premier Chris Minns will be back today to announce NSW Government’s investment in Moree to address crime, support young people and improve community safety is moving forward with the launch of $1 million in grants to deliver more after-hours activities.This includes a new innovative small-grants program to support individuals and small businesses wanting to do more to support young people.
“We are backing our young people in Moree and helping make the community safer,” Minns said.
“By providing more after-hours activities, we are helping more young people stay on the right track.
“This kind of early intervention will help prevent crime and give young people more chances to succeed.”
PCYC, Miyay Birray and SHAE Academy have been awarded additional funding to expand and improve after-hours activities for young people in Moree.
PCYC was awarded $314,000 to expand the U-Nites program to an additional two evenings each week, on Thursday and Saturday nights.
SHAE Academy was awarded $152,000 to deliver specialised youth programs on Friday and Saturday evening each week, with staff support until 2am.
Miyay Birray was awarded $282,000 to improve and expand StreetBeat so that it operates until 12am on Monday to Wednesday and until 2am on Thursday to Sunday evenings each week.
Mayor Mark Johnson said it was great to see the Moree placed based initiatives coming to fruition.
“The after hours activities announced whilst just one piece of a suite of future actions will provide safer circumstances for our youth.”
“We are grateful to Premier Minns and his government for their on-going support of our Shire.”
The CEO of the Moree Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve McIntosh, expressed his gratitude to welcome the Premier back to Moree to discuss this important work.
“Since the NSW Government announced this response in March, we’ve seen new energy and focus on our community.”
“The Moree Aboriginal Lands Council Land, along with Abcare, SHEA, Thiamali, Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) Pius X, alongside our local Police, share the same vision, knowing that the only way we can improve the lives of our young people, in a lasting way, is by empowering them and providing them with better opportunities”.
A program to support small grants is also opening for small businesses, individuals and organisations to provide after-hours and weekend activities for young people in the Moree Plains Shire.
The new $350,000 rolling small-grants program will provide flexible grants to encourage innovative community-led after-hours and weekend activities for young people across the Moree Shire.
Applicants can apply for grant funding between $500 – $10,000. The grant funding will be allocated simply and quickly, with opportunities to apply each fortnight, and on-the-ground supports available for applicants throughout the application process.
To learn more about the small-grants program, visit: www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/moree-after-hours-activities-grants
Top image: (l-r) Deputy Mayor of Moree Plains Shire Susanna Pearse, Mayor Mark Johnston, Premier Chris Minns, and former member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall at the Premier’s last visit to Moree.
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