Kickstarter fund opens up to provide $300,000 worth of grants to not-for-profit and community youth support programs

While the recent addition to the ‘adult crime, adult time’ laws aims to crack down on young crims inside the courthouse, a new fund is trying to stop kids from ever setting foot through the door.

While the recent addition to the ‘adult crime, adult time’ laws aims to crack down on youth crime inside the courthouse, a new fund is trying to stop kids from ever setting foot through the door.

On Tuesday, the Minister for Youth Justice Laura Gerber announced up to $300,000 worth of grants will be available to North Queensland organisations who are able to “provide gold standard early intervention” as part of the $50 million kickstarter fund.

“These programs could look like support in relation to health, it could look like re-engaging youth into education training or a pathway to a job, it could look like sporting programs developed around helping kids with life skills or eliminating risky behaviour ” she said.

“We know that some of the criminogenic factors in relation to youth going down a life of crime can be involvement in drugs and alcohol and so these programs could target that as well.”

This announcement comes after the expansion of the ‘adult crime, adult time’ laws last week to include 20 more offences including kidnapping, rape and trafficking in dangerous drugs.

New data which emerged from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office found that during the 2023-2024 period Townsville’s total offence rate increased by a massive 55.5 per cent, making it the crime capital of the state.

The Cleveland Bay Youth Detention Centre. Picture: Evan Morgan

However, Ms Gerber said she was confident in the LNP state government and the state premier David Crisafulli, to meet their goal to reduce crime.

“We’re seeing some really small, incremental changes right now,” she said.

“For Townsville alone, we saw when you compare the last three months to the last year under the previous Labor government, there’s 41 less stolen vehicles.

“I know that’s incremental and small but when you think about what that means to a family who wakes up to find the sanctity of their home violated … those 41 less victims matter.”

Ms Gerber said programs which are able to prove they are meeting that “gold standard” and keeping young offenders from reoffending will be able to apply for ongoing funding.

“We’ve seen a generation of repeat young offenders over the last 10 years as a result of systematically weakening not just our Youth Justice Act, but a failure to invest in programs,” she said.

“There are world leading programs right here in Townsville that could be funded, that aren’t funded, that never got the support to get off the ground.

“I’m looking forward to those not for profits and community based organisations being able to come forward to put their ideas on the table and receive funding.”

For more information on the Kickstarter grants, including how to apply visit https://www.youthjustice.qld.gov.au/partnerships/kickstarter-grants

Originally published as Kickstarter fund opens up to provide $300,000 worth of grants to not-for-profit and community youth support programs