Bunnings Palmerston, Grassroots Aboriginal Corporation partner up to support youth

In a bid to inspire Palmerston’s youth, Bunnings has partnered with local organisations with a view to providing troubled teenagers skills, purpose and a sense of accomplishment. See more for details.

Neil Gray, Trish Visser, Antonio Cubillo, Leslie Turley Jr and Israel Shadforth at Bunnings Palmerston. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin.

In a bid to inspire Palmerston’s youth, Bunnings has partnered with local organisations with a view to providing troubled teenagers skills, purpose and a sense of accomplishment.

In partnership with Grassroots Aboriginal Corporation, Bunnings Palmerston started its Trade Skills for Teens program 12 months ago, aimed at supporting 13 to 15-year-olds.

A year into the program, the teenagers have built cubby houses, garden beds and have even contributed to packing equipment for natural disaster-affected areas.

Salvation Army’s Neil Gray and Trish Visser of Bunnings Palmerston are impressed with how the teenagers are developing within the program. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Activity manager Trish Visser said the program was a great way to teach the teenagers practical life skills.

“The skills that we hope they learn is that they learn to work as a team - number one,” she said.

“Also to read instructions when they’re wanting to build things and obviously learning how to use different tools and materials that we provide, such as drills and screwdrivers.”

Some of the program’s boys on the tools. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Ms Visser said healthy relationships had been formed between the teenagers and their program mentors.

“They love coming to Bunnings and we’ve actually formed a great bond with these boys and we are actually looking at trying to put some of them on work experience very soon,” she said.

“It’s a good program and a good initiative.”

Recently, a group of boys built and donated a garden bed to a domestic violence shelter in greater Darwin - another successful project added to their list of achievements.

Neil Gray (right) says the program is aimed to stay with the young people for life. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Salvation Army captain Neil Gray said the teenagers themselves benefitted from the program as well as their recipients.

“The next time they’re faced with a life decision about whether to do something self serving in life, they’ll remember this feeling and go ‘hang on, it felt way better to be thinking of others’,” he said.

“We’re just really thankful to be considered in these collaborations, because ultimately, you know, the sky really is the limit for these teenagers.”