BridgeWorks Youth Transition Program:
Residential family-focused care, nurture, equipping and training of at-risk ‘transitioning’ youth. Many children’s homes only care for children up to the completion of their 3rd year of high school, due to higher care and educational costs, and also a lack of resources and commitment in the care of teenagers. At-risk youth that lack stable families can become vulnerable to various forms of exploitation (including trafficking) from age 13 years on (sometimes earlier), and so a majority do not finish school. The BridgeWorks Youth Transition Program seeks to develop pathways that enable at-risk youth that need to leave a children’s home to continue their education with ongoing nurture, equipping, and empowerment.
Educational / Vocational Youth Scholarships:
To fund / enable further education and provide a viable future option for those in their mid-teens. These funds allow for education/training costs to enable them to continue in school, learn a trade, or continue to college/university and ultimately paid employment. The education costs per student vary from $30/mth (High school); through to over $100/mth for university. BridgeWorks scholarship sponsorship is $30 – $50 (AUD) a month per youth. In the spirit of fairness, this is “pooled” in the BridgeWorks Scholarship Fund, to make it possible to assist those at every level of education.
Income Generation Projects:
BridgeWorks aims to identify marketplace opportunities for the developing of projects that are suitable for the young people of BridgeWorks. This is for the purpose of skills training, as well as providing some financial assistance for the participants.
Dinki BakeAdemy:
A bakery project started in 2011 with girls from a local children’s home. This project provides an income for those in full-time training, and part-time income for students, as well as skills training and significant personal growth for the girls involved. It is a self-funded project; though does require some capital injection occasionally for equipment.
Dinki project has grown over the years from basic training and market sales to a commercial baking kitchen, a retail shopfront, and a wholesale clientele.
BridgeWorks also maintains a Workshop, which provides training and employment opportunities in technical / mechanical / maintenance skills, etc.