By LIA SPENCER
YOUNG people throughout Casey are invited to workshops which promote mental health and emotional wellbeing.
The Reach Foundation (Reach), holds workshops called Fused for people aged 13 to 17, five nights a week at the Narre Community Learning Centre.
Fused aims to encourage young people to step outside their comfort zones, speak honestly, share stories and connect with their peers in a space that allows them to feel they can be themselves.
Year 12 student Maddie Aldridge has been attending Reach workshops since 2011 and said she loved the non-judgmental environment where she could be herself.
Maddie said she also liked that the workshops were run by the Reach crew – a group of young people who were highly trained to effectively engage and inspire teenagers.
“They make you feel supported – they’re not adults, they’re young people who’ve been through the same things we have,” Maddie said.
Steph Dennis, 20, is one of the Reach crew which runs Fused in the Casey area.
Steph said she was quite a reserved teenager before she first attended Reach.
“I didn’t like new environments or talking to people I didn’t know,” she said.
“At Reach I learnt a new perspective.
“I realised I needed to stop relying on other people’s approval to feel comfortable in myself,” she said.
“I am a different person than I thought I would become.
“I am a lot more out-going, try really hard and am passionate.
“I am a lot more confident and feel like I can do anything.”
Ms Dennis said she loved running Reach workshops and watching how teenage participants learn and grow each week.
“Working with young people is always something I wanted to do.
“When young people explore and practice really being who they are, and are supported to do this, it becomes easier for them to be the person they want to be in their everyday life,” she said.
“Seeing this is inspiring for everyone in the group. It encourages all of us to be better people and go after what we want in life.”
Reach has been running workshops in Casey for four years and more than 100 young people have participated.
Reach runs Fused workshops in Narre Warren each Tuesday night from 7 May until 4 June, at the Narre Community Learning Centre, 1 Malcolm Court, Narre Warren, at a cost of $50 for five weeks.
Bookings close on 19 April. To book go to reach.org.au or call 9412 0900.
