We often hear there is nothing for our young people in the Brighton region to do. In early 2024, community member Michael Casey decided he wanted to do something about this. Michael came up with the idea of an expo for community groups and clubs to showcase their activity or hobby to young people.

When Michael was accepted into the Tasmanian Commu­nity Fund – Emerging Com­munity Leaders program for 2024, he decided to take his youth expo idea to the table as a potential project.

A project team was formed to take on the idea, which evolved into the objective of supporting young people 12 – 17 years old to forge links within their ‘village’ by partic­ipating in community groups and activities in the Bridge­water, Brighton, Herdsmans Cove and Gagebrook commu­nities. Michael was joined by Catherine Bannister, Daniela Dorney, Jannah Digby, Kerryn James and Bree Piscitelli.

The enthusiastic project team evolved the idea into develop­ing a directory of the com­munity groups and activities available for young people to get involved with, both in the Brighton region and sur­rounds. The team identified how parents and young people really struggle to find what is available to them, with groups and activities often being hard to find online or contact.

The ‘Your Village’ booklet aims to overcome these bar­riers by bringing everything together in one guide, and provide ease of reference to locations and contact details for a whole range of activities and community groups.

Long-term, the project team would like to see the guide in digital form, so that it can be easily shared online, updated regularly and added to over time to ensure its longevity and relevance.

“Ideally we would like for an organisation like a council or longstanding community group to take this on and ensure it can be updated on a regular basis,” said Mi­chael. “This is the only way it will stand the test of time and continue to be there as a resource for young people who are looking for a hobby or something to do but don’t know where to start.”

The guide was launched and distributed at the recent Youth Summit in Bridgewater, where students from the Brighton area attended to share ideas for a future youth space.

The project team has been delighted with the initial response. “The feedback since launch has been very good from parents and young people,” said Michael. “It is clear from the reaction that this is an information gap that has existed in the Brighton area for a long time, and we have no doubt the experience in other communities will be similar.”

The ‘Your Village’ guide is being distributed far and wide. Grab your copy from the Bridgewater Library or contact Brighton Council on admin@brighton.tas.gov.au to request a copy.