Meet our first guest Brooke, a TAFE student, currently studying outdoor education and outdoor guiding. She also enjoys staying active thanks to her rec centre membership funded by a City of Boroondara Move and Connect Grant.

Bloom Podcast - Brooke

On Ruby’s birthday in 2019, she received a shocking medical diagnoses that severely impacted her ability to play sport, and keep fit.
“The previous few weeks I was getting a lot of different symptoms. I was picked for seniors, and I was in the locker room, I couldn’t breathe, no oxygen was going into one of my lungs, it was really emotional and confusing”. Ruby is in her final year of studying occupational therapy.

Bloom Podcast - Ruby

As well as studying for the IB, and staying engaged with politics, taking part in @youthparliamentvictoria exposed Sophie to ideas that she now cares deeply about. Sophie says that her involvement with the program was what got her interested and motivated to work for climate action, and to encourage other people like herself to create changes for the environment.

Her experience with @youthparliamentvictoria showed her it is possible to enact change, and helped demonstrate a pathway forwards for her and is also a member of Boroondara's Youth Voice, our youth reference group.

Bloom Podcast - Sophie

Bloom Podcast - Iggy

“A lot of my friends who went through break ups and things like that, they always wanted me to talk to me. And I wanted to help out, but deep in my mind I have to admit that I didn’t always feel like talking. For me...if you want to help someone, you’ve got to at first help yourself.”

As a result, Swarn has been hoping to put into practise some social skills around boundary setting.

Bloom Podcast - Swarn

Hosts: Nia McCatty and Hayley Cheung
Guests: Belinda Battey and Brea Dorsett
Edited by: Hayley Cheung
Jingle: Hayley Cheung

In this episode, Hayley and Nia chat to Belinda and Brea, two amazing young people who work and volunteer in the homelessness space. We break down stigmas, stereotypes and talk about how we can do better as a community to support those who are experiencing homelessness.

Homelessness: a resource and education guide 
‘Homelessness: a resource and education guide’ is a digital toolkit created by Council with input from young people in our community. It has been created to help young people better understand the causes and complexities of homelessness to reduce stereotypes and stigma. This guide also provides useful information about local services and resources where you can find support or get involved to combat homelessness. The guide will be distributed during Homelessness Week to schools, youth organisations, and faith groups, to be used by young people in our community. If you’re interested in a copy you can find it here:
https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/about-council/news-and-media/boroondara-news/homelessness-week-2022 

Resources

Frontyard
Located in Melbourne’s CBD. Frontyard provides multidisciplinary holistic programs to meet the needs of young people aged 12 to 24 who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
03 9977 0077
mcm.org.au/homelessness/frontyard  
19 King Street, Melbourne

Boroondara Youth 
Provides one-on-one information, support and referrals for young people aged 10-25 years. We also offer drop-in support from 12pm to 6pm. 
9278 4608
boroondara.vic.gov.au/youth 
Level 1, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn

headspace Hawthorn
Support for young people aged 12 to 25, including doctors, general counselling, family therapy, housing, education and training for sexual health, mental health and alcohol and other drugs. 
9006 6500 
headspace.org.au/headspace-centres  
Level 1, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn

Servants Community Housing
Support for people on low incomes to find safe, affordable housing and a community they can thrive in. 
https://www.servants.org.au/
9819 6073
36 Barton St, Hawthorn VIC 3122

Foyer Federation
Foyers are integrated learning and accommodation settings for young people, typically aged 16 – 24 years, who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
https://foyer.org.au/
0478 647 399
68 Oxford St, Collingwood, Victoria 3066

Questions?
Contact Council’s Safer Communities Planner (Homelessness)
9278 4326
homelessness@boroondara.vic.gov.au

Bloom Podcast - Homelessness

In this episode, Nia chats to George, a young person who has been attending the Boroondara Youth Hub for over three years accessing a number of programs and services. We also speak to Benjamin Breslin, Youth Development Lead at Boroondara Youth about his journey alongside George. 

If you'd like to access any of the services mentioned in this episode follow the links below:
Boroondara Youth Programs: https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/community/young-people/join-youth-program

L2P: https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/community/young-people/tac-l2p-learner-driver-mentor-program

JobCo: https://www.jobco.com.au/en/

Headspace: https://headspace.org.au/

Bloom Podcast - Introducing George

In this episode, Lauren speaks to Arlo about their experience as a young disabled person in Boroondara.

Arlo is a fourth year student studying at Swinburne University and is the current student secretariat for the Swinburne Accessibility Network. They're a group of students advocating for improved support and accessibility for all around Swinburne.

For a copy of the transcript for this episode or for more information please contact the Boroondara Youth Team on 9278 4876 or email us on youth@boroondara.vic.gov.au

Take the Stage: Dive into Diversity - Arlo Fehring

The Bloom podcast is a response to the trying times many of us have been going through, in the hope that it fosters a feeling of connection or familiarity.

Over 5 episodes, released weekly from mid-November 2021, you will meet 5 young people from varied walks of life. All have wrestled with different problems, and with different perspectives on how to cope.

Boroondara Youth

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