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A Village of Care: How the Y NSW Supports Defence Families

Kerryn Barnes has spent more than two decades serving in the Royal Australian Navy, from commanding patrol boats on Operation Sovereign Borders to representing Australian interests across Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific. This year she has been posted to Canberra, meaning she can only come home on weekends, leaving wife Stacey to hold the fort with their son Josh, 8, who attends Y Hammondville Outside School Hours Care.

Olympic Gymnast Emma Nedov Advocates Keeping Kids In Sport Amid Rising Costs

Young gymnasts across NSW are being forced to abandon the sport they love as rising costs drive them away from gymnastics at an alarming rate. With participation numbers plummeting primarily amongst lower socioeconomic families, Olympic gymnast Emma Nedov is speaking out, joining forces with the Y NSW (YMCA) to fight for more inclusive, accessible pathways to keep young athletes engaged.

The Y NSW Alternative Suspension

The Y NSW Alternative Suspension is a life-changing program that supports students aged 12 to 18 who are suspended or at risk of being so, to address the causes that lead to their suspension, and to build self esteem, social and emotional skills, set goals and plan for a positive future.

Building mental resilience: The power of the mind in sports

In sports, where physical competence often takes centre stage, it's easy to overlook the crucial role that mental resilience plays in shaping an athlete's journey. As we watch this year’s Olympics in Paris, with all of the triumph and adversity, it becomes evident that behind every medal-winning performance lies a mindset forged in the crucible of challenge and perseverance.

Festival of Empowered Minds 2024

Young people across Australia are overrepresented in a range of societal and economic issues. Several key pieces of research have been released in the past five years detailing the issues young people consider to be key concerns to their generation. A common theme across this research is the concern of negative mental health outcomes. The 2022 Mission Australia Youth Study listed the top challenges faced by young people as school and education, mental health, and relationships. With this in mind, our festival, called Empowered Minds, is a leadership and empowerment project designed and delivered by young people aged 16-25 aimed at increasing self-worth, inner-strength, leadership, and agency. Empowered Minds will contribute to a more equitable and safer community, promoting mental health literacy, social, emotional and physical wellbeing of the Parramatta community. This youth-led initiative will offer a range of free activities, including yoga, music, art and craft, among other activities alongside services that can assist young people in their personal growth journey.

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