Ourspace gets a makeover

Oasis Youth Network Hunter officially relaunched their Ourspace program at the Newcastle Community and Welfare Centre on 4 September.

Ourspace offers young people access to crisis support, referrals, job-seeking services and short courses including first aid, hospitality, information technology and multimedia.

A highlight of the relaunch ceremony was the unveiling of the re-skinned outreach bus and a new mobile coffee cart that has been installed at the Oasis Hunter centre.

These upgrades were possible thanks to a generous grant of $80,000 from the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation and will allow the centre to run accredited courses in hospitality, IT and multimedia.

Hunter Oasis Youth Network Manager Peter Martin says the Ourspace program will allow them to engage with the community and show what services they have to offer.

“We have worked hard to develop an outreach resource that provides a wide variety of training, education and engagement options. Our staff and volunteers make the time to sit and listen with anyone who visits the bus. Getting to know people is vital to us and we can now do it over a hot coffee,” Peter said.

The plan is to further modify the bus, installing computers with internet, recreational equipment and a barbeque.

Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation Chairman Michael Slater says the Ourspace program is a wonderful initiative and one that the Foundation is happy to support.

“The Ourspace project addressed all of these issues and empowered local young people to connect with other services and accredited and non-accredited training providers.”

A small ceremony was held on the day to officially launch the program, with Newcastle and Centre NSW Divisional Commander Major Gavin Watts thanking Newcastle Permanent for their grant. 

The bus was unveiled, the ribbon cut on the new mobile coffee machine and a celebratory cup of coffee was served.

The Ourspace program has been running in the Newcastle and Hunter areas for three years, however the team felt the program needed reinvigorating.