PROJECT BOOYAH CONFERENCE BUILDING SUCCESS FOR AT-RISK YOUTHS

• The Project Booyah state conference united 57 members from 11 sites across Queensland.
• The conference debriefed and reflected on the program's 2023 accomplishments, with an expected graduation of 83 young individuals from Semester 2/2023
• Project Booyah is a QPS-led early intervention and community inclusive initiative that targets at-risk or disconnected youth.

Fifty-seven members from 11 locations across the state have united for the Project Booyah State Conference.

Hosted by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and Police-Citizens Youth Clubs (PCYC) on Tuesday December 5 at the Sunshine Coast, the conference aims to provide a platform to share successes and reflect on the program’s accomplishments this year.

Eighty-three young people are expected to graduate this semester, after 16 weeks with Project Booyah, a QPS-led early intervention and community inclusive initiative.

Project Booyah engages at-risk or disengaged youth through mentoring, education programs, vocational scholarships, and connections to employment opportunities.

Its mission is to address disengagement from family, community, and education while working to reduce the young people’s likelihood of offending and subsequent victimisation in the community.

The State Conference featured informative sessions covering topics like psychology, self-care for participants, Duke of Edinburgh course content, Information Exchange database training, the unveiling of the 2024 Training Manual, and a celebratory conference dinner.

Currently active in 10 sites including Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Moreton, Ipswich, Logan, South Brisbane, and Gold Coast.

The program is gearing up for its expansion to its eleventh location, with Toowoomba launching its program in the first term of 2024, with planning and recruitment underway.

Quotes attributable to Mr Robert Skelton, Member for Nicklin:
“Project Booyah is a cornerstone of the QPS’s commitment to early intervention and prevention and has proved that with its results,” he said.

“To have 83 young girls expected to graduate from this year’s cohorts across the state is an amazing achievement and will likely change the trajectory of their lives.

“The QPS and its partners have done a fantastic job in delivering this program and I’m excited to see its expansion in more locations across Queensland.”

Quotes attributable to Acting Superintendent Rob Fleischer:
“It’s been great to get together with Project Booyah representatives from across the state and hear everyone’s unique challenges and achievements,” he said.

“We’re constantly evolving the course content to adapt to the ever-changing environment that is youth engagement and development.

“To witness 83 young people finish the course with new skills, new friends and a new found hope for the future is the reason Project Booyah was first established.”

To find out more or to refer a young person, visit https://projectbooyah.com.au/

Explainer/fast fact and or further information:

• Since 2022 (across two semesters with full data availability), offending rates dropped 86% whilst in program and 60% after the program.
• The first semester in 2023 Project Booyah cohort obtained the below results:
o 81% of graduates achieves a Certificate 2 Foundation Skills Training Qualification
o 77% re-enter the education system
o 39% engage in further training
o 28 % undertake work experience
o 31% obtain employment through the program
 
• Data has not been finalised for the second semester 2023.
• Between 8 February 2016 and 30 June 2023, 1189 young people have been accepted into the Booyah 16-week program across all sites and 907 young people have successfully graduated the program (76%).
• The Queensland State Government has provided $7.4 million over five years from 2016-17 and ongoing funding of $1.9 million per annum to continue Project Booyah locations across Queensland.