AN Ocean Grove house will soon welcome and support teenage girls struggling to get through the routine and demands of the final two years of secondary schooling.<\/p>\n
Debbie’s Place is a temporary home away from home which will provide accommodation and support for three teenage girls from the Bellarine. A first of its kind in Victoria, the two-year pilot project was launched at Driftwood Caf\u00e9 in Ocean Grove last week.<\/p>\n
Jane Carrigg is behind Debbie\u2019s Place and said the launch was very well attended and received.<\/p>\n
Speakers included Ms Carrigg, Bellarine MP Lisa Neville, and incumbent Venerable Jill McCoy from the Anglican Parish of Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads.<\/p>\n
Ms Carrigg, who has been working on the project for the past four years, said her mission was to see at-risk girls from the Bellarine successfully completing VCE\/VCAL studies, equipped for independent living and prepared for the careers of their choice.<\/p>\n
She said she chose Ocean Grove because it was a community hub, which offered many opportunities for the girls.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey will be part of a community in Ocean Grove and they\u2019ll be able to get jobs, are close to shops, buses, the gym, or they can even go for a surf if they want to.\u201d<\/p>\n
The residents of Debbie\u2019s Place, also known as The Bellarine VCE Girl’s House, will be supported daily by a live-in adult mentor and supervisor and a team of dedicated volunteers.<\/p>\n
They will also learn living skills, share responsibilities of household management, prep meals, budget, and even take part in driver training.<\/p>\n
Ms Carrigg said she was interviewing candidates for the house manager position, and once appointed, would start receiving referrals for potential residents.<\/p>\n
Debbie\u2019s Place was named in honour of Debbie Clingeleffer-Woodford, a teacher at Geelong Grammar, a rowing coach, and a gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games who was passionate about education.<\/p>\n
Sadly, Debbie passed unexpectedly and her family wanted her legacy and passion to live on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Debbie’s husband Russell and daughter Kate heard of our project, they generously committed to partner with us and offered what was their family home in Ocean Grove,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike Debbie, we also believe that secondary education opens up opportunities for girls to not only make choices in their own lives but in turn impacts the lives of others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Debbie\u2019s Place is supported by the Anglican Church of Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads, Korus Connect, the churches and community of the Bellarine Peninsula and the Melbourne Anglican Foundation.<\/p>\n
For more information, head to debbiesplacebellarine.com.au.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AN Ocean Grove house will soon welcome and support teenage girls struggling to get through the routine and demands of the final two years of secondary schooling. Debbie’s Place is a temporary home away from home which will provide accommodation and support for three teenage girls from the Bellarine. A first of its kind in […]<\/p>\n