Greater Shepparton City Council were the proud recipients of a State Government $2,000 Victorian Youth Week grant that made the Young People Activate Kindness project possible. Victorian Youth Week is an annual event running this year from Saturday 26 June until Friday 2 July, aimed at celebrating the talents, achievements and contributions of young people to their community.
The Young People Activate Kindness project encouraged young people, aged between 12 to 25 years, to create a message of kindness which could be shared with community members in need of some positive support.
Council’s Youth Development team worked closely with headspace, GOTAFE, the Berry Street School, the Lighthouse Project, local schools and other partner agencies to ensure as many young people as possible were aware of the opportunity to participate. They also worked with Council’s Aged and Disability teams to include older people in the project as a way to create a connection between the younger and older generations.
The messages of kindness will be displayed around Greater Shepparton from Saturday 26 June until Friday 2 July, with Council encouraging locals and visitors to venture around town to view the work. There is plenty to see, with the messages of kindness taking a variety of forms, including letters, poems and drawings.
The work can be viewed at several locations including GOTAFE in Fryers Street, the Visitor Information Centre in Wyndham Street (new SAM building), KidsTown in Mooroopna, Bill and Beats in McLennan Street and the Botanical Gardens.
Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe encouraged everyone to check out the map of locations where the kindness messages will be displayed, and make an effort to visit these locations to demonstrate support and respect for our young people.
“This is a fantastic collaborative and creative project which brought together local young people to express themselves and share their positive thoughts and messages - a true sign of the incredible community spirit that surrounds us,” she said.
“Council received an impressive number of submissions, more than 300, in a range of formats which is a true testament to the level of creativity of our young people.
“Congratulations and thank you to all who took the time to craft their kindness messages. I encourage everyone to take the time to view the messages which are much needed at a time when COVID-19 restrictions can feel a little taxing.”
A map with a full list of locations can be downloaded below.
