Detailed design of a new youth hub in central Geelong is complete, shaped by the ideas and insights of more than 1100 local young people.
The City of Greater Geelong will open a youth hub in the Busport building on the corner of Gheringhap Street and Transit Place in January 2025.
The two-year pilot program is supported by $400,000 in funding from the Victorian Government.
An extensive City engagement process has seen 1226 people contribute their ideas about how the hub should look and what services and spaces should be included.
Of these, 1121 were young people between the ages of 12 and 25.
Based on these contributions, the hub will feature:
- an open plan area for socialising and group activities, which could also be set up with spaces for gaming and quiet time;
- a multi-purpose room suitable for a range of creative uses such as music and art;
- a kitchen, able to host cooking classes; and
- an accessible bathroom.
The look and feel of the interior will match the most popular descriptions from survey respondents, which included 'welcoming', 'comfortable', 'warm', 'colourful' and 'casual'.
The activation of the hub will also be influenced by the input gathered during the engagement process.
Feedback suggested that young people most want the facility to feature opportunities to learn or practice skills (such as cooking, art and music), as well as mental health support, social 'drop-in' sessions, and employment assistance.
Mayor Trent Sullivan
Young people have asked for this facility and from the outset we wanted to make it a place that they would want to come to.This process has been incredibly valuable in helping to identify exactly what will make the youth hub a success, and how it can provide the most value to young people.
Member for Geelong Christine Couzens
Importantly, young people have been involved in the design of the Youth Hub, and the services it will provide.I look forward to the opening of the hub, providing young people in Geelong a central space that services their needs and interests.
To help the design process, the City's youth development team also visited youth hubs in Richmond, Fitzroy, and Footscray, and engaged with staff from multiple youth service organisations.
A process to appoint a builder is now underway, with construction of the hub expected to begin in the coming months.
There will soon be an opportunity for young people to contribute their ideas about what the hub should be named.
The full engagement summary and further project updates are available athttps://yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/YouthHub
The City's 2022 and 2023 Youth Councils both strongly advocated for a youth hub in Geelong and played central roles in progressing the project, while the 2024 group have been active participants in the design process.
