The City of Casey is set to establish a Young Women's Leadership program, thanks to more than $75,000 in support received through a Victorian Government Brighter Futures Grant.
The VicHealth initiative supports programs that help young people develop the skills and connections they need to manage life's challenges, with six Victorian councils sharing in more than $500,000 in funding.
The City of Casey will be mentored by Monash City Council, which previously rolled out the Young Women's Leadership program.
This program will be developed to ensure that local women are actively engaged and valued by their community.
It will assist them to build their sense of importance and connectedness to their friends, family and the community.
Council's Youth Services team will engage young women to take part in the program, which will be delivered weekly over a ten-week period, providing guidance and facilitated workshops.
City of Casey Mayor Cr Amanda Stapledon said she was thrilled to hear that Casey was successful in its grant application and looks forward to being involved in the rollout of this important initiative.
"The Young Women's Leadership program will allow us to increase women's skills and confidence while also providing them with leadership opportunities in a peer learning environment," she said.
"Specifically, this program identifies and addresses barriers to women accessing leadership opportunities, and I can't wait to see the pathways that this will create for our future generations."
The Brighter Futures Grant will enable Council to provide a dedicated youth worker to facilitate the program and support young women across the municipality.
Cr Stapledon said this program will draw upon Casey's well-established good practices with working with young people to a create safe space for all.
"Our Youth Services have a fantastic history of working with young women from diverse backgrounds, however with the growing population there is an increased need for more programs and services," she said.
"Having a dedicated officer will increase the capacity to engage and empower young women, by delivering programs that promote gender equity and develop their individual, social and leadership skills."
Council estimates that it will begin recruitment for the new youth worker in July 2019, after which the program will be rolled out.
