By Mikayla van Loon
The impact the Lilydale Youth Hub (LYH) has had on young people’s lives isn’t just surface level help but something that goes much deeper, to the point of saving someone’s life.
This is the difference the LYH had for Amida Jones-Vermeend’s 13-year-old daughter Cassia, who a year and a half ago was struggling with her mental health and had no hope for the future.
“I don’t think she would have come through it [without LYH] and I think that is the reality for a lot of parents. I just don’t know if she’d be here,” Amida said.
“I have got fear that if those kinds of things close, a lot of young people who are accessing them, they’re going to get lost in the system.”
Unfortunately, the reality of LYH closing due to a lack of ongoing funding is a possibility.
Having been funded by the Liberal Federal government in 2019 for three years, LYH is now fighting for the State and Federal governments to recognise the positive impact the consortium service is having on young people.
As one of the first people taken into the Hub’s services during the lockdowns, Cassia was welcomed by her then case worker Tanya, who connected with her regularly and when allowed, visited her at home.
“It was a lifesaver, to be honest…I feel so grateful for Tanya going beyond herself,” Amida said.
From individual counselling sessions, Tanya then started getting Cassia involved in some of the programs on offer, the first being animal therapy.
Since then, Cassia is the youngest member to have joined the Youth Advisory Group where she loves “having a voice and learning about how to talk and communicate her feelings and her thoughts on what is beneficial for young people in the area.”
Cassia is also part of Rural Rainbows and attends almost every holiday session available, having made her own way to the Hub from Warburton throughout the winter holidays.
“She started to make friends there. She has a really beautiful network now of friends her own age that she regularly wants to catch up with at the hub.
“It’s a really safe environment for young people in the area to catch up together, even if they’re not at the same school, it crosses over different schools and different demographics and really brings young people from the outer areas into the central hub.”
Amida said these were huge steps forward in Cassia coming out of her sadness, something she wasn’t sure was possible.
Not only has LYH changed Cassia’s perspective on life but has established better connections with the whole family too.
“We attend regular family counselling which Cassia setup. She said, ‘I really want my family to work through some of the issues that we have at home’ and it has been, I would say, the reason we’re all still together,” Amida said.
“It’s had a flow on effect to the family and therefore, our community, our work, our self respect, our self esteem, our communication at home, [Cassia’s] connection to her school community. It flows out to everything.”
Consortium lead organisation Inspiro’s CEO Sue Sestan said unfortunately Amida and her family’s story is becoming far too common, where there is nowhere to turn.
“Parents are running out of places to get help for their child,” she said.
“We are proud to have built a service that is not only giving young people a chance to get
support for their mental health and wellbeing, but a place where they feel welcome, valued and
respected.
“If the Hub were to close now, it would impact the lives of many young people and their families
leaving them with nowhere to get support.”
That’s why LYH is campaigning for government support at all levels by asking families, individuals and organisations to raise their voice in support of what peer support workers and the consortium are doing for the Yarra Ranges.
“We want everyone in the Yarra Ranges to join our campaign and raise their voice to support
youth mental health support in the Yarra Ranges,” Sue said.
“The messages that have come through so far show that the community truly value the Lilydale Youth Hub and that we have made a clear impact in the lives of young people in the area.”
Amida and Cassia’s story proves the success of a service like LYH and is something Amida said should only “expand, not close. It needs to get bigger and more beautiful.”
“There are a lot of young people who are taking their lives or hurting themselves, and who are very much in distress,” she said.
“These are the leaders of our future. They’re going to be the ones who stand up and say, ‘No more. We’re going to have a better world.’
“But if we don’t look after them, what are we saying for our future.”
If you need support from the Lilydale Youth Hub, contact 9757 8777.
If you or someone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
