Jennifer Pittorino
Hoping to continue its partnership with Maribyrnong council, Western Chances has made a budget submission for a further three years of funding to renew its Western Chances Scholarship Program.
Chief executive Zac Lewis said the organisation is asking council for $40,000 per year for three years, which would support more than 100 young people who experience financial barriers to their education.
“We empower young people to achieve their potential, so we’ve asked Maribyrnong council to assist us with that,” he said.
“We help support the young people who reside in Maribyrnong, through scholarships to help them achieve their potential and complete their education.”
Expecting to see a 20 per cent increase in applications for the program this year, Mr Lewis said the cost of living crisis has continued to impact young people.
“We have seen a massive surge in applications for our programs,” he said.
“Last year, our school scholarship program jumped nearly 20 per cent and it’s looking as though it will jump up to 25 per cent this year.
“We are getting a flood of applications.”
Mr Lewis said the figures show a great need in support.
“We love supporting young people and we would like to support more young people,” Mr Lewis said.
“On the flip side, it shows you that there’s such a great need in the community for educational essentials, which continue to go up in costs.”
In 2023, Western Chances supported 995 youth’s across six local government areas in the western suburbs.
With the funding from Maribyrnong council, Mr Lewis said the organisation was able to purchase essential items including laptops, textbooks, home internet, and myki passes to get to and from school.
Although the funding from council would be a welcome partnership, Mr Lewis said Western Chances has other funding options to continue its program.
“We have a great relationship with Maribyrnong council, they’ve always been so supportive of our work,” he said.
“The great part about council is they’re so supportive of young people who live in the area.
“They want to see them do their best to become active parts of the community and contribute both socially and economically.”
Maribyrnong council said it could not comment on the proposal until the budget is presented at its June meeting.
