Ladder Step Up Latrobe Valley
Ms SHING (Eastern Victoria) (10:24): I rise today to congratulate each and every single one of the 178 graduates of the Ladder Step Up program in the Latrobe Valley. This is a transformative engagement for young people, some of the most vulnerable folk across the Latrobe Valley, who really need support, assistance, wraparound care and non-judgemental access to mentors and to role models. What we have seen over the period of these 19 programs, which have been held in partnership with the AFL, is young people getting access to steady and stable accommodation, to support networks and to the connections to help them to reintegrate into education or indeed to work towards pathways of vocational training or indeed employment. I want to give a special congratulations to Keisha, Bella, Simone, Harmonee, Maeve and Latoya, who shared their stories with me when we reconfirmed funding for the Ladder Step Up program as part of this year’s budget. It is stories like yours which make all the difference. It is hearing about the work that you are doing to maximise your own potential that means that you are incredible role models for other people across our communities. Well done. My congratulations. I cannot wait to see where you go from here.