Reaching young people, then staying: Ballajura Youth Outreach Project named a WA Youth Awards finalist

The Ballajura Youth Outreach Project was established to address youth disengagement, antisocial behaviour and limited access to trusted support in the Ballajura community. The City of Swan's outreach team took the first step, going to where young people already spend their time in parks, schools, the library and other community spaces to build informal, trusted connections with young people who might not otherwise engage with formal services.

 

Kids First has been part of the Ballajura community since 1999. Rather than delivering the outreach itself, Kids First's role has been to give those first connections somewhere to go next.

 

"Our role has been to provide a safe, welcoming and trusted place for young people who have connected with the outreach team," said Kids First General Manager, Youth Services WA & SA, Daniel Pisani.

 

"Through our Ballajura Youth Centre, young people can drop in, talk with our youth workers, get support with whatever may be happening in their lives, and, when needed, access more intensive support or be connected with other services."

 

That continuity is delivered by a dedicated team of two Senior Youth Work Case Managers and three Youth Workers, who build relationships with young people over time, provide a safe and supportive environment, and help them navigate whatever support they need, from simply having somewhere to be and someone to talk to, through to case management, referrals and more intensive one-to-one support. Kids First has also worked closely with the outreach team to develop and deliver tailored programs and workshops shaped directly by what young people say they need and want.

 

"For us, it's really about being there for young people beyond that first point of contact," Mr Pisani said. "A young person might initially meet someone through outreach and then come into the Youth Centre for some fun with friends, a workshop, a conversation, some practical support, or simply because they know there is a place where they will be welcomed. We see our role as being part of that safety net around young people."

 

The results speak for themselves. Antisocial behaviour incidents at the Ballajura Hub have dropped by 94%, from 18 incidents in 2021–22 to just one in 2025. In 2025 alone, Kids First's Ballajura Youth Centre engaged 383 young people across 7,375 occasions through its drop-in program, and delivered 169 tailored brief interventions.

 

"The numbers only tell part of the story," Mr Pisani said. "What matters to us is what they represent – it could be a young person who knows where they can go when things aren't okay, or a young person who has an adult they trust, or a young person who gets tailored support before a problem becomes a crisis."

 

Young people have been central to the project, with the Ballajura Youth Committee helping shape programs, resources and events, and giving young people a genuine say in decisions affecting their community. That youth-led approach has already been recognised in its own right, with the Committee receiving the Active Citizenship award at the City of Swan's Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony.

 

The project's success has also shaped what comes next: the City of Swan has committed funding for two part-time Youth Outreach Officer positions to trial a city-wide outreach model, extending the early intervention approach developed in Ballajura to more communities.

 

The Ballajura Youth Outreach Project is one of ten finalists across categories at the 2026 WA Youth Awards, delivered by the WA Government, the Department of Communities and the Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia (YACWA), with support from Lotterywest. Winners will be announced on Friday 11 September at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Perth.

 

For Kids First, the recognition reflects something simple: young people don't just need to be reached. They need somewhere to land, and someone who stays.

Learn more about our Ballajura Youth Drop-in Centre here.