MAKING a positive difference in the lives of the region’s young people is a source of personal satisfaction for Larelle Kuczer.<\/p>\n
Named among this year’s Great Women of Ballarat honourees, Ms Kuczer said she “fell into” youth work while undertaking her social work degree.<\/p>\n
She seems to have landed in just the right place, as today she’s youth and community impact manager at Y Ballarat, and has played a vital role in positively reshaping opportunities for a large number of young people across the region.<\/p>\n
Through initiatives including the Youth Advisory Group, Youth Parliament and the National Youth Week Art Exhibition, her efforts have ensured people under the age of 25 are decision-makers in programs that affect them.<\/p>\n
Ms Kuczer’s upbeat leadership has helped to create practical initiatives such as Bags of Joy, Jump Start and ReCranked, addressing disadvantage with skill-building and connection.<\/p>\n
With a reputation for strategic foresight and collaboration, Ms Kuczer has built enduring partnerships that position Ballarat as a leader in inclusive youth development.<\/p>\n
Looking back, she said a placement at Grampians Health, then Ballarat Health Services, gave her an insight into working with a range of people in health and community settings and she discovered she was “super passionate about supporting young people”.<\/p>\n
“Watching young people grow and work out the world around them, I found that young people often need guides to help them make good decisions and coaches to find their way in the world,” she said.<\/p>\n
“Adolescence is such a challenging developmental time and even with fabulous supports, there are intense physical and biological changes occurring, stacks of pressure about making good decisions about their futures all while trying not to mess things up too badly.”<\/p>\n
Ms Kuczer said there are so many issues with which young people have to contend today.<\/p>\n
“Where to start? Identity, social connection and fitting in, working out who they are, education and career choices, navigating family relationships, forming healthy relationships, body image and the media, being judged by older people, finding employment, working out how to be an adult,” she said.<\/p>\n
“Add to that the challenges and vulnerabilities that many young people in our community face with lack of support, safe accommodation, finance, social isolation, education disengagement, unemployment.<\/p>\n
“These things can easily add up to create a far more complex and challenging experience than that of previous generations.<\/p>\n
“Youth workers are in a unique position of not being in a position of authority as a teacher or parent may be. Listening, offering suggestions and information, and coaching are key parts of youth work.<\/p>\n
“We work hard to be big, brave and accountable and a big part of that is listening to what local young people need and creating or adapting programs to suit their needs.<\/p>\n
“I am such a believer that it takes a village to raise a young person \u2013 giving young people opportunity, acknowledging their experiences and challenges, being kind and remembering back to our own experiences of growing up and working out the world.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MAKING a positive difference in the lives of the region’s young people is a source of personal satisfaction for Larelle Kuczer. Named among this year’s Great Women of Ballarat honourees, Ms Kuczer said she “fell into” youth work while undertaking her social work degree. She seems to have landed in just the right place, as […]<\/p>\n