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
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!
Our Statement of Commitment:
At Valley Youth we are committed to uplifting and empowering our community by providing safe, inclusive and accessible programs, activities and events for young people of all identities and abilities, particularly those who are marginalised.
We are accountable to these commitment’s by continually engaging with community and developing our practice through training as well as seeking out knowledge and resources. If you feel that there are ways we can improve our access and inclusion practices we encourage open and respectful conversation.
Our Team
Young Communities
Adrienne Zuliani
Coordinator Young Communities
PRONOUNS: SHE / HER / HERS
Madi Vandersluys
Youth Participation and Projects Officer
PRONOUNS: SHE / HER / HERS
- What I do is all things youth participation! This is making sure that young people have a say, are heard and are genuinely included in the work that we do at Valley Youth.
- I’m into reading, seeing live music, travelling, gaming, plants!
- My go-to place to hang in Moonee Valley is Queens Park! This is my go to spot for having a nice walk, often coupled with having some tasty lunch under a shady tree.
- When I’m not at work you’ll find me all over! I might be hanging with friends, learning Spanish, at a gig, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, walking my dog or playing some games!
- I love working with young people because young people are capable of making big things happen. Whether it’s wider change in the community, or in their personal lives, I continue to be inspired by young people every day. Working with young people is fun, exciting and incredibly rewarding.
Madi has been a youth worker for three years, with experience in out of home care, youth mental health, homelessness and supporting local government programs. Madi loves planning and delivering programs and events where young people can make new connections, learn new skills and have fun. Madi is currently in her final year of her Bachelor of Youth Work and Youth Studies and is keen to finish up and say goodbye to student life!
Emma Phillips
Community Development Programs Officer
PRONOUNS: SHE / HER / HERS
- What I do is coordinate the L2P and DriveLink programs. Both programs match learner drivers with volunteer mentor drivers to support them to gain experience on the road and take their driving test.
- I’m into exploring new places, drinking coffee, and fostering animals.
- My go-to place to hang in Moonee Valley is Queen’s Park, or somewhere along the Maribyrnong River.
- When I’m not at work you’ll find me catching up with friends for a walk or a coffee, or trying to practise my photography.
- I love working with young people because I think every young person has so much potential, and I love their enthusiasm and creativity.
Emma joined Moonee Valley City Council in 2022. She has a background in community development and youth engagement work.
Ru Watson
Youth Development Officer
PRONOUNS: THEY/THEM/THEIRS
- What I do is support our Rainbow Valley team, who meet on a monthly basis, where we provide young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender-diverse, intersex, non-binary and/or queer (LGBTIQA+) to plan and engage in events and activities within the local community, with a focus on fostering social inclusion and community connection. I like to work utilising a collaborative and strengths-based approach, which allows me to empower young people to take charge of their life.
- I’m into social justice, music, animals, reading, spending time with my family and friends, and being outdoors.
- My go-to place to hang in Moonee Valley would have to be the library because I’m always in search of new books to read.
- When I’m not at work you’ll find me watching a gig, spending time with my rescue dog, Marley, playing music, tufting rugs or spending time with the people I care about.
- I love working with young people because they are our future and they have such a fresh outlook and perspective on life. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that! I also love being able to provide young people with support, encouraging them to foster self-acceptance and empowering them to be the most authentic version of themselves that they can be.
Ru is a Youth Development Officer within the Community Development team. They specifically work with the Diversity, Access & Inclusion portfolio. Ru’s pronouns are they/them/theirs and they identify as gender queer. If you’re not sure what this means feel free to reach out to Ru and they’d be happy to chat about this with you. Ru has over seven years of experience working with young people and within the NFP sector. Ru’s has a background in Youth Work, Sociology, Theatre and the Disability sector. Ru was one of the original organisers of Girls Rock! Melbourne (now Amplified Victoria), working as the Head of Media & Promotions before they moved into their previous role of Diversity and Inclusion officer. Ru is passionate about grass roots initiatives and community development, always working with the view to empower young people and amplifying their voices as well as encouraging self-acceptance and self-love. Music is one of Ru’s great loves and they enjoy both listening to and creating music.
Maria 'EmJay' Matthews
Youth Development Officer
PRONOUNS: SHE / HER / HERS
- What I do is support the Young People’s Committee and Grassroots Group. Theses are spaces where if you are a young person, you have a platform to do some local advocacy and activism. It’s also where you can learn how local government works with a hands-on approach. I also help plan for school holiday activities, school lunchtime activities, and I put together the VYSPN newsletter.
- I’m into gaming, binging on streaming services, reading non-fiction, and op-shopping.
- My go-to place to hang in Moonee Valley is The Clocktower cafe.
- When I’m not at work you’ll find me you can’t find me, I am at home on a gaming session or binge watching tv…no way I am giving my home address out online! Or maybe there is the off chance that you would bump into me in a Savers op shop.
- I love working with young people because adults can be scary, annoying, and boring. Sometimes they can be all three at the same time. Annoying and boring but scary that they can have power to wreck things up due to their dullness and absurdity. That’s why instead I like working with young people because they can bring something new to the table.
Maria goes by the nickname EmJay because she kept bumping into too many other youth workers named Maria, and needed a nickname to refer to herself. She’s got five years’ experience in the youth sector in both local government and with non-government organisations. She is also a part-time Masters of Social Policy student and a board member of another organisation, which means you can totally ask her about stuff relating to civics, advocacy and governance. Her two major loves are social justice and her two cats.
Alex Veljanovski
Youth Development Officer
PRONOUNS: SHE / HER / HERS
- What I do is support our Avenue Productions crew to run creative events in the local community and develop their skills. I also do lots of other bits and bobs like school engagement, our school holiday program and social media.
- I’m into reading, making art and adventuring.
- My go-to place to hang in Moonee Valley is Parco Ramen. Queen's Park is a close second tho!
- When I’m not at work you’ll find me attempting to cook something new (and mostly failing but sometimes succeeding!)
- I love working with young people because we are passionate, creative and are changing the world for the better.
Alex has worked in youth services for four years, and was once a Valley Youth program participant herself! She's held roles in community development and visual communications, and currently supports the delivery of youth-led creative events. Alex is passionate about creating opportunities for young people to engage in the arts as a way to express themselves, improve their wellbeing and foster connection and communtiy.
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.
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.
