![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2024\/03\/karroong-front.jpg\")
Ms Couzens welcomed the new hub but said it would also be an emotional day for First Nations people who remembered the previous building on the Forster Street site, which had been in use since the early 1980s.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst Nations Young People need a culturally safe and supported place to connect with community and culture.<\/p>\n
“The Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative has created a great space for Young First Nations People and families to access the services in the one location.<\/p>\n
\u201cKarroong Kanyool, meaning ‘Home of Young’, is now a space First Nations Young People and families in Geelong can call their own, where they can connect with community and receive the supports and services they need to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Construction of the new hub was supported by the Victorian government\u2019s Aboriginal Community Infrastructure Program.<\/p>\n
The program funds projects planned by First Nations organisations, ensuring they can deliver what\u2019s needed for their own communities.<\/p>\n
Since 2018, the program has supported 93 projects across Victoria through a combined investment of almost $39 million.<\/p>\n
Applications are now open for round seven, with more than $11 million available to successful First Nations organisations.<\/p>\n
For more information, head to firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au\/aboriginal-community-infrastructure-program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
YOUNG First Nations people in Geelong now have access to a range of tailored services and support in one place with the opening of the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative\u2019s new youth hub in Norlane. Parliamentary Secretary for First Peoples and Geelong MP Christine Couzens and Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-Operative representatives celebrated the completion of Karroong Kanyool (“Home […]<\/p>\n