A new tiny home project at Riverina Youth Justice Centre is helping young people develop practical trade skills, confidence and community connections to support brighter futures.
Young people at Riverina Youth Justice Centre are building practical trade skills, confidence and stronger connections with their community through a new construction project in Wagga Wagga.
The ‘tiny home’ project, supervised by staff at Riverina, involves teaching young people in custody teamwork and new skills that will support them when they return to the community.
Working alongside Shepherds Park School, Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) at TAFE NSW and local tradespeople, the young people help design and construct a tiny home that will ultimately be donated to a worthy cause.
Throughout the project, participants are learning to read technical plans, work safely on construction sites and develop practical skills in framing, plumbing, tiling and basic electrical work.
They will also receive mentoring from local building industry professionals, helping them build connections that can lead to future employment opportunities.
Minister for Youth Justice Jihad Dib visited the centre to meet the young people and Youth Justice staff involved and to see the first stages of the project.
The Minister also inspected refurbishment works underway at Riverina Youth Justice, as part of the Minns Labor Government’s $138.4 million investment in Youth Justice staff and facilities, strengthening safety across the state’s centres.
The work at Riverina Youth Justice Centre will see the existing Barwon unit given upgraded ceilings and windows, as well as new flooring, improved dining facilities for the young people and security improvements.
As part of the package, Riverina also has a new Incident Response Team as part of the Government’s expansion of these highly-trained teams to support staff at all six Youth Justice centres in NSW.
Minister for Youth Justice Jihad Dib said:
“If we want young people to leave custody ready to make better choices, we have to give them real opportunities to learn and grow. While there has to be consequences for doing the wrong thing, these consequences should be about changing behaviour not seeking revenge.
“This is a great project, supported by Youth Justice staff at Riverina, the Shepherds School and the local community. It’s my hope that these young people will learn valuable, practical skills, and build connections with the local building industry, which could turn into future careers.
“Building skills in young people is vital to help them return to their communities and build new futures for themselves. If we give them the confidence to change their paths in life, we can help them break the cycle of offending and build better, more meaning futures.”
Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr said:
“Providing young people in custody with skills to build confidence, knowledge and career pathways is critical to helping them make better decisions when they rejoin the community.
“By learning the practical skills of building a home, the young people are also gaining life skills that can help to change directions and build brighter futures, and I thank all those who gave their time, skill and enthusiasm to this valuable project.”