Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has praised the team behind the local Boys to the Bush support service, with the organisation going ahead in leaps and bounds since the Young hub was established in 2022.
“When it comes to having a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of people in our towns and villages, the programs provided by Boys to the Bush, are up there as some of the best,” Ms Cooke said.
Ms Cooke said Boys to the Bush is a not-for-profit charity providing prevention and early intervention strategies for young men between the ages of nine and 22 who are at risk of disengagement.
“The team support disengaged young men across the region by providing camps and mentoring to not only teach valuable life skills, but to also help improve their education and employability,” Ms Cooke said.
Their mission is to ‘provide an environment free from the distractions in their lives, allowing boys the opportunity to be surrounded by positive influences and giving them opportunities to succeed. Encouraging mateship, resilience, and a sense of belonging’.
“I stopped-by the Young hub recently for a chat with team members Pete Butcher and Cassandra Tyack, who filled me in on their latest outreach programs. They tell me they’re growing all the time, providing on-the-ground support to dozens of boys and young men, making sure they know that if they’re struggling, they don’t have to go it alone,” Ms Cooke said.
Ms Cooke said she was proud to have been a part of a Coalition Government that contributed funding in 2022 to the establishment of the hub in Young, and another in Leeton.
“The funding allowed for a permanent base to be established at Young and Leeton a few years ago, which provided local employment and additional support. It’s been a fantastic ‘add-on’ to the range of support services that we have available in the region,” Ms Cooke said.More information is available at www.boystothebush.org.au
Photograph caption: Steph Cooke with Boys to the Bush team members Pete Butcher and Cassandra Tyack at the organisation’s Young hub.
