Seymour Racecourse was the venue today for the 'Connect.ed' forum, staged by the Seymour District Interagency Team coordinated by Cameron Allan and Judi Pay from Berry Street Victoria, in partnership with the Department of Education and Training - Hume regional office. The purpose of the forum was to begin the process of developing and implementing coordinated programme planning and service delivery to support all young people and the broader community within Seymour.

The forum brought together over sixty representatives from government departments, community service and welfare agencies, schools and local government to begin the process of a 'place-based' management approach in Seymour.

The forum was opened by the Member for Seymour, Mr. Ben Hardman. Mr. Hardman remarked on the importance of such a coordinated approach and congratulated organisers and participants on the bold approach being taken to support the Seymour Community.

Councillor Robert Parker also welcomed participants and commented both as a councillor and employer on how important the preparation of young people was to employers and the broader community. He commended the organisers for such a positive initiative.

The day was facilitated by Rowena Allen, CEO of Cutting Edge Youth Services. The programme was a lively and relevant mix of information sharing and strategic planning. Over the course of the day, morning and afternoon sessions were divided in to key workshops, covering a range of plans and strategies to support young people across all age ranges and levels of need. Early childhood, health, education, safety, employment and personal well-being were just some of the themes connecting the extremely positive and lively discussions within the forum.

Leon Kildea, Senior Education Officer from the Dept. of Education and Training for the Hume Region, provided the key organising framework for the day and worked closely in support of all forum participants. Leon pointed out that the challenge of the day was not simply to have held an 'event', but to ensure that a genuine process begins and that actions flow directly from the discussions and commitments made on the day.

The forum concluded with all of the participants showing new levels of energy and commitment to the goals of supporting coordinated and synchronised action in the support of young people of all ages in Seymour.

Seymour most definitely had its best foot forward today! Even to the point of participants knowing each others shoe size!! [You had to be there to understand that little joke!]

Congratulations to all involved in the organisation and staging of the forum, an outstanding immediate success that promises much!

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