Who are Valley Youth?
Our mission is to celebrate youth culture, promote equity
and participation for all young people in Moonee Valley.
At Valley Youth, young people are the centre of our work.
We are passionate to ensure young people are heard, engaged and empowered to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
OUR VISION IS A MOONEE VALLEY WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE THRIVING
The voices of young people guide our work, and are embedded into MV2040. This is Moonee Valley City Council’s long-term plan for the next two decades.
MV2040 was shaped by the community and the kind of future they hope for in Moonee Valley. It also considers trends, specific objectives and consultation findings from young people.
Our work will focus on the following MV 2040 Themes and Strategic Directions:
Theme: Fair
Strategic Direction 1: A city that celebrates diversity. Moonee Valley’s diverse young people are celebrated as one of Moonee Valley’s greatest strengths.
Strategic Direction 2: A city with a dynamic network of accessible community facilities and services. Young people have services that meet their needs now, and in the future.
Strategic Direction 3: A city where people are healthy and safe. Young people feel great in body, mind and spirit, feel safe, and know how to access services that help.
Strategic Direction 4: A city where residents can engage, participate and influence change. Young people are involved in community life and have a say in important decisions.
Strategic Direction 5: A city with housing for all. Young people can access safe housing.
Theme: Thriving
Strategic Direction 6: A city with opportunities to learn and work. Young people can learn, develop, get experience and get jobs.
Strategic Direction 8: A city with things to see and do. Young people can participate in the arts, sport, culture and local community-run events.
This takes over from our previous strategy, Thrive Strategy for Young People.
We ask young people who live, study, work or spend time in Moonee Valley about what makes a good life for them. We do this regularly via forums, consultations and our programs on an ongoing basis. These responses, and the Fair and Thriving Action Plans, shape the things we work on each year. Our previous report card is here Action Plan 1 Highlights - PDF but you can check out our latest report card below!
SERVICE PROVIDERS NETWORK
Valley Youth Service Providers Network is an alliance of youth service providers that support young people who live, work, study, or spend time in Moonee Valley. It is composed of representatives of agencies, organisations and schools who are committed to sharing information and working collaboratively in the area. The network holds regular meetings and provides email updates.
Want to join the network? Complete our form at the bottom of this page and we will get in touch with you soon.
Our Team
Mental Health and Wellbeing Team
Kathleen Dugas
Mental Health and Wellbeing Officer
PRONOUNS: SHE / HER
- What I do is offer one-on-one support to young people in Moonee Valley to deal with challenges they might be experiencing, and assist them to work toward goals they want to achieve.
- I’m into getting out to nature, gardening, and taking care of foster animals!
- My go-to place to hang in Moonee Valley is Olivia Spring Café for vegan eats.
- When I’m not at work you’ll find me tinkering away at creative projects, in my garden, or hanging from things at circus class.
- I love working with young people because young people inspire me with their resilience, enthusiasm, and ability to overcome challenges in such a changing time of their lives!
Kathleen has over 6 years of experience in community services, from assisting young people to access education, training, and employment through the Youth Start – Transition to Work program in Melbourne, to her years as a Case Manager on a remote indigenous community in the Northern Territory. Kathleen has also worked as a volunteer coordinator for a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, where she moved from to come to Australia in 2012. She is working on her Masters of Social Work and holds a Bachelor of International Development. Kathleen has spent time volunteering with overseas development projects, and with environmental organisations in Melbourne. She is passionate about social justice and works with a collaborative and strengths-based approach to assist young people to step into the lives they want to live!
Jessica Wotherspoon
Youth participation and projects officer
PRONOUNS: SHE / HER
- What I do is create opportunities for young people to work with Council and lead the development and delivery of mental health and wellbeing projects.
- I’m into Baking. Who doesn’t love an endless supply of cake!
- My go-to place to hang in Moonee Valley is Queens Park - grabbing a picnic blanket and finding a spot in the sun. Plus they have coffee!
- When I’m not at work you’ll find me doing some craft, reading books; and singing along to classic Disney hits!
- I love working with young people because young people have so much energy and passion – its infectious! I’m grateful to have some pretty amazing journey’s with them; and help their voices be heard.
Jess has accumulated over 8 years experience in community service, and in that time supported women leaving the prison system, children in foster care, and public housing tenants at risk of losing their tenancy across Victoria. During a stint in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Jess worked with university students to deliver some pretty awesome campus events and supported local and international students navigating university policies and appeal processes. Jess joined Moonee Valley City Council in 2014 and has had the privilege of seeing local young people become exceptional leaders. Jess has a Bachelor of Social Work from Victoria University and works from a strength based approach to assist young people be agents of change in their community.
Young Communities Team
Join our network
Looking for an opportunity to meet other youth organisations and services in the local area?
Sign up to our network to come along to our quarterly meetings to connect with other workers and find out what's happening near you.
