Seymour-based youth group and social enterprise Gnarly Neighbours opens new hub in the neighbourhood

What began as a youth group providing skating classes and a protected place for younger folks has grown right into a full social enterprise, with plans to develop throughout the nation. 

In 2019, Jayden Sheridan based Gnarly Neighbours by taking skateboards right down to the native park and operating some classes, with the ambition of constructing the central Victorian city of Seymour a extra constructive setting than the one he grew up in. 

Three years later the group turned a registered charity, and shortly gained traction throughout the nation for his or her progressive method to youth engagement. 

Nicely thought to be a frontrunner in the case of working with younger folks, Mr Sheridan has now been nominated because the 2024 Younger Australian of the Yr for Victoria. 

Earlier this yr Gnarly Neighbours and Mr Sheridan additionally opened The Neighbourhood: a restaurant, skate store, print store and indoor skate park area. 

The purpose is  to create a protected neighborhood environment for Seymour, whereas tackling youth unemployment.

The top objective is to create paid employment alternatives for 58 younger neighborhood members annually by way of quick and long-term employment alternatives, in addition to work expertise for varsity college students.

“We’ll give them a go at all the pieces — hospitality, retail, printing manufacturing, design and training for many who need to discover ways to coach,” Mr Sheridan mentioned. 

He hopes the younger members will be capable of take their abilities and expertise from The Neighbourhood and use them as a pathways to full-time employment.

“A giant factor for me is confidence; numerous children can lack confidence and simply not know find out how to do issues and the place to start out,” he mentioned. 

A ‘enjoyable and chill’ place to work

One of many many younger folks working at The Neighbourhood is Skye Peckham.

She is eighteen and lately moved to Seymour together with her mom from the Victoria city of Rochester.

Ms Peckham has principally been working as a barista for The Neighbourhood and says she has loved being a part of a relaxed and easygoing crew

“It has been actual enjoyable and chill, it is not as aggravating as different jobs and it has been attention-grabbing,” she mentioned.

Ms Peckham mentioned the method of discovering work has felt aggravating and overwhelming prior to now, however The Neighbourhood has been welcoming, and dealing there has helped her really feel like a neighborhood. 

“I really feel like I already know just a few of the locals … there’s numerous recurring folks [visiting The Neighbourhood], younger cool folks, so it is like I’m already a part of the neighborhood whereas again in ‘Rochey’ it took some time to lastly get to know folks,” she mentioned. 

For Mr Sheridan, The Neighbourhood isn’t just about creating jobs, it’s also about making an accessible area that may be loved by the entire neighborhood.

On prime of their well-known skate classes, the area means Gnarly Neighbours may also provide all the pieces from twice-weekly before-school breakfasts, to video games afternoons.

“It is about giving children an countless quantity of alternatives to discover issues, and once they become bored with one thing and throw it over their shoulder the subsequent constructive factor is in entrance of them,” he mentioned.

Mr Sheridan is hoping to develop Gnarly Neighbours to different regional and rural citys across the Australia, and sees Seymour’s The Neighbourhood as the primary of many.

“Every neighbourhood may be totally different, prefer it may not have the skate store or the print store per se but it surely may need a barber or one thing else that caters to the city’s wants,” Mr Sheridan mentioned. 

Neighborhood buy-in

Gnarly Neighbours has turn into one thing the neighborhood has embraced, with many native households and companies concerned, and a few even contributing to hire and operating prices to get The Neighbourhood off the bottom.

“Many fingers make gentle work, there’s simply so many individuals in the neighborhood that simply come collectively,” Mr Sheridan mentioned. 

Liz Tregenza, partnership supervisor at Our Place Seymour — an schooling, well being and growth initiative for kids and households experiencing drawback — mentioned Gnarly Neighbours has had a “enormous influence”. 

“Jayden and his crew have a unprecedented follow of listening to the voices of youngsters, which is sort of exemplary, and he all the time offers a constant protected area for kids,” Ms Tregenza mentioned.

“The whole lot that Jayden does is cool, so he breaks down the obstacles for many who wrestle to have interaction with companies.”

Mr Sheridan himself says his preliminary concepts for a youth group have led to one thing a lot greater than he ever thought doable.

“I simply imagined a shed with some ramps in it … not a full skate park and occasional store,” he mentioned.