Regional councils and eligible not-for-profit organisations are encouraged to apply for funding to deliver events and activities during the upcoming autumn school holidays, thanks to the NSW Government’s expanded Holiday Break program.
Minister for the Arts and Regional Youth Ben Franklin said the program has been upscaled to deliver a wider range of activities to engage regional youth thanks to $10 million from the NSW Government’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Strategy.
Mr Franklin said a range of activities including writing workshops, wellbeing camps and song making programs are already locked in for the upcoming holidays thanks to the Office for Regional Youth’s partnerships with the Office of Sport and Create NSW.
“Young people in regional towns are more likely than their metro peers to feel isolated over the holiday period, and these activities will encourage regional youth to have fun after a challenging couple of years,” Mr Franklin said.
“Holiday Break allows regional youth to overcome barriers to participation by providing free or heavily subsidised holiday activities, ensuring they are given equal opportunities no matter their postcode or family income status.
“If there’s an activity that you’d like to see happen during the autumn school holidays, I encourage you to reach out to your local council or eligible not-for-profit organisation who can work with you to turn your concept into a reality.”
The funding can be used to support a wide range of activities including arts and cultural workshops, film nights and DJ workshops.
Funding of up to $10,000 will be available to all 93 regional councils and eligible not-for-profits to cover the cost of running further youth events or extending youth services over Youth Week and the Autumn holidays, with events to run from 2-24 April.
Mr Franklin said the expanded program includes a partnership with Create NSW for the first time in 2022 and has enabled a wide range of creative activities for regional youth to enjoy.
“This includes APRA AMCOS SongMakers, Music in the Regions, First Nations Marking Country Mural Project, Performing Arts Camps and Writers on the Road Workshops,” Mr Franklin said.
“We value the powerful and positive impact that arts and cultural participation has on young people. The NSW Government is providing access for young people to develop creative skills from professional artists and explore exciting ways of collaborating.
“We have a vibrant youth arts sector in NSW that covers many artforms and scales of activity, I encourage eligible arts and cultural organisations to get behind the Holiday Break initiative and submit an Expression of Interest for Writers on the Road and Performing Arts Camps,” Mr Franklin said.
Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said free Holiday Break camps were being offered at six sport and recreation centres across regional NSW.
“Whether it’s extreme adventure activities or learning about nature, all Holiday Break camps guarantee one thing, and that’s fun,” Mr Ayres said.
To find out more about activities near you and for program guidelines, visit www.nsw.gov.au/HolidayBreak.