Youth Employment and Issues Support

Vicinity has run successful national jobs fair programs at 19 centres across our portfolio, attracting thousands of jobs seekers. A number of jobs fairs were coupled with job readiness workshops, targeted at youth and delivered in partnership with local community groups, which provided valuable job readiness training, interviewing, and presentation skills to young people transitioning into the workforce and seeking roles in the retail sector.

Due to COVID-19, we have suspended the jobs fairs program for the immediate future, particularly in Victoria, but look forward to reinstating them as soon as we are able as they bring significant and broad benefits to our retailers and our communities.

Vicinity’s Grand Plaza shopping centre in Queensland has historically observed loitering and anti-social behaviour by local youth. Previous approaches focused on immediate security responses had not been effective in reducing longer-term anti-social behaviour.

Since late 2017, the centre has undertaken a number of initiatives designed to promote a more balanced and community-focused approach to dealing with troublesome youth, in collaboration with various local stakeholders. These have included:

• Inviting Maori elders to the centre to have informal talks with Maori youth known to cause issues at the centre, and with security personnel to share insights on preventing future incidents;

• Centre management staff meeting with security personnel and the local police regularly to discuss strategies to deal with crime;

• The Centre’s security manager attends monthly meetings with community groups and schools to keep abreast of programs to which local youth can be referred.

During FY20, the centre partnered with the not-for-profit Yourtown to deliver an interactive and educational YOUth Matter program, aimed at improving engagement of and support to young people accessing the centre.

The nine-week program tailors to individuals engaged in the program and provides access to core life skills and personal development workshops. Community guest speakers, including centre management representatives and retailers, address the group to build young people’s connection to local opportunities and support services. Participating youth are also supported by a case manager throughout the program and beyond.

To date, Grand Plaza has seen 17 young people successfully complete the program with three participants finding employment (one with a retailer at the Centre) and one reengaging at school. Additionally, the centre hosted an Indigenous school-based trainee at the centre management office, providing them with exposure to a wide range of centre management functions, including operations, marketing, leasing, and customer service.

Vicinity is now looking at ways to roll out the program with Yourtown at our other centres across our portfolio.

Chadstone – The Fashion Capital continues to hold a strong partnership with Starlight Children’s Foundation through both Christmas activity and ongoing support, to assist in raising funds for children in need.

Since 2015, Chadstone has partnered with Starlight Children’s Foundation each Christmas to donate funds to the charity. Each year prior to the pandemic, Chadstone would visit the Starlight Express Room at either the Royal Women’s Hospital or Monash Children’s Hospital to perform a Christmas Show for Children who cannot leave the hospital during this time of the year. This show is broadcast to all children within the hospital.

In FY21, we continued our Starlight partnership; donating all 2020 Chadstone Santa Photography ticket booking fees to the charity.

Chadstone looks forward to continuing its partnership with Starlight Children’s Foundation, focusing on increasing donations year on year and providing support where needed.