‘A great legacy under that roof’: PCYC youth space gets a makeover so teens feel they belong

Mick Hughes accepts the $5000 cheque from Ray White Nambour Director Matt O’Grady and NCF Board Chair Al Upton.

A $5000 grant will help the Queensland PCYC Welfare Association refresh PCYC Nambour’s youth space – upgrading equipment and comfort so local teens have a place that feels like their own.

Sergeant Mick Hughes said the club’s weekly drop-in program offers a supported “safe space” with a police officer on hand, games, sport and social connection. “It’s a safe space for young people to come every week and hang out,” Sgt Hughes said.

“We’re getting really good numbers. So for them to come in and feel like it’s theirs will be really cool.”

The money will go towards practical upgrades, including a convertible pool/air-hockey table, and improvements that make the room more inviting. PCYC Nambour has served generations of families.

“We still get people say, ‘I came here, now my kids come here’,” Sgt Hughes said. “There’s a great legacy under that roof.”

With cost-of-living pressures and social isolation biting, a welcoming youth hub matters more than ever—somewhere teenagers can show up as they are, be seen, and make better choices.

The grant, awarded at the Nambour Community Foundation ceremony at Nambour RSL on October 21, recognises that simple investments in place and play can shift trajectories for local young people.

• Queensland PCYC Welfare Association received $5000 to upgrade the PCYC Nambour youth space at the Nambour Community Foundation Grants Ceremony, Nambour RSL, October 21.

The $5000 grant was funded by Community Partner Ray White Nambour, Selling Principal Matt O'Grady, said this year we wanted to focus on community groups who support kids.

"It's important that kids in our community understand there are local groups like the PCYC who are there to help them succeed, as well as care for them".

• Learn more about the annual grants round or how to become a community partner at ncg.org.au