Engaging with youth in Pormpuraaw has been an ongoing challenge for our team but we’re celebrating a breakthrough with three young men with carpentry potential!
Stephen, Darren and Lloyd from our Community Projects team decided to change their approach with local youth and empower them to choose what they want to do with RISE’s support.
They encouraged them to think of ideas for projects, no matter how big or small.
One of the young men had recently bought a dog from Cairns and was keen to build a dog crate to keep his new pet safe and comfortable.
This was a great practical project for the guys to get involved in and learn valuable building skills at the same time.
As a trade-qualified carpenter, Darren was the perfect teacher and mentor for the three keen young men.
RISE Ventures sourced the materials and then they got to work. Some of the skills Darren taught the group were cutting and joining techniques, levelling and using a range of power tools such as drills, saws and orbital sanders.
In the RISE workshop, safety is a top priority and work health & safety procedures were emphasised throughout the construction.
The final product was impressive, with the teens constructing a top-notch home for their four-legged friend!
This project has sparked more interest in building and the group requested to make more items including a bed, table and chairs.
This has been a great win for our projects team as they have engaged three youth who, before this, were completely disengaged.
It has highlighted the importance of consultation and supporting young people in the community to do projects they are interested in and choose for themselves.
Our Pormpuraaw team is looking forward to creating more opportunities like this across the community this year.
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