The Young Mothers Transition Program (YMTP) in southeast region of Melbourne has been given philanthropic funding from three generous funders to enable the ongoing operation of the program and continue to meet the needs of young mothers and their babies to complete education and secure employment.
For young mothers, this signifies the importance they have as individuals and young people – it is life-changing.
The funding commenced mid December 2024 so we had a week or two to put a plan in place before Christmas closing, and now that we are into 2025, we have completed a review of the model and materials, have welcomed the return of Kirstie Leach to the role of Transition Coach and can now officially advise we are now taking referrals.
We have created an improved structure, with Jennifer Orlandi in the role of Senior Transition Coach, who will be the first point of contact for all enquiries, networks and local stakeholder relations. Jen can be contacted on 0474 546 382 or jennifer@sellen.org.au
Jen, Kirstie and Mary Tresize-Brown continue to work as team YMTP, and in addition to remaining in the management of the program, Mary has stepped into the role of President of the Australian Young Pregnant & Parenting Network (AYPPN) that supports providers across Australia working with young parents in education, health and wellbeing.
In addition to YMTP and AYPPN, Mary’s portfolio now includes an exciting new pilot project for the southeast region that aims to equip parents of young people making the transition from primary to secondary. Involving three committed secondary colleges for this year only at this stage, she will be developing a workshop knowledge model amongst other helpful and impactful tools and techniques, and including an independent evaluation of the project that provides clear evidence on the impact of parents in this stage of transition.
The SELLEN are incredibly grateful to our YMTP funders – the Brian M Davis Charitable Foundation, a funder who wishes to remain anonymous and the Besen Family Foundation for making the decision to partner and fund YMTP until December 2027.