Youth Group Programs
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Safe and supportive spaces for young people to connect, grow and thrive!
Delivered in collaboration with schools across NSW, our programs involve co-designed sessions that feel relevant, respectful, and empowering for each group. These group programs were designed in collaboration with young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, are facilitated by specialised youth workers and typically run during school hours. Programs explore themes such as identity, leadership, wellbeing, community, and belonging — always centring the voices and lived experiences of young people themselves.
- Trauma-informed
- Strength-based Approach
- Creative
- Reflective
- Culturally-sensitive
Explore Our Programs
Creative Art
Creative Art involves engaging with young people to encourage free and inspiring artistic activities, such as Beth Mosaic creations, designing and practicing Screen Printing and moulding Clay Art.
In these classes, the moto is “making art is not representing a world, but creating a new one”. Programs centre around the idea of developing a sense of belonging amongst young people.
Capoeira Angola
The Capoeira Angola program introduces young people to an Afro-Brazilian art form, combining music, movement, and cultural expression. Through regular sessions, participants build confidence, physical fitness, and teamwork skills while exploring resilience and creativity in a supportive environment. The program also fosters cross-cultural connection, creating a safe space for young people to learn, share, and celebrate diversity.
Sporting Linx
Sporting Linx is a medium-long term biopsychosocial intervention aimed to support secondary school students cultivate teamwork and leadership. The program utilizes sport as a vehicle to foster self-esteem, goal setting, communication, managing emotions, and healthy living practices. Having learnt the skills of being a leader, students work towards designing and executing their own Gala Day event for younger students during the final weeks of the program.
Drumming
STARTTS Drumming program is a fun, trauma-informed and certified drumming program derived from Rhythm2Recovery, and draws on the use of rhythm, movement, instruments, musical experimentation and collaboration to foster personal strengths, positive relationship skills, inner resources, self-responsibility, mindful awareness, positive values. This program teaches social skills and builds self-esteem among youth from refugee backgrounds.
Bold, Brave & Beautiful
Bold, Brave & Beautiful (BBB) is a young women’s program that provides a safe space where girls feel heard, build resilience, showcase their strengths, and enhance their connection to self and others. Through the BBB program, young women learn to express themselves positively, navigate limiting social norms, discover shared experiences and celebrate their differences.
The Journey
The Journey Men’s program empowers young men to reflect on their lived experiences, explore how their circumstances shape who they are as a man, and recognise the potential for creating a positive impact in the world. The program supports young men to normalise and feel comfortable with their emotions, while learning to safely express their individual needs.
B Well Y Talk
The ‘Be Well Y Talk’ program originated from a need recognised by youth and the STARTTS Youth Team for discussions around mental health. Be Well focuses on giving young people space to explore concerns and opinions on mental health, coping, communication, stigma, self-care, community connections, peer support and options of further support (e.g. counselling).
Non-STARTTS Programs
Alongside STARTTS programs, we facilitate known initiatives such as Rock and Water, Tree of Life, and swimming sessions. These programs give young people the chance to build confidence, develop new skills, and explore their strengths in a supportive environment. Programs are dependent on the needs of community groups and partner organisations. Please note, we are open to supporting other programs and initiatives, so please reach out to learn more about our capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Our programs are designed for young people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds aged 12–25 years. Programs run in mainstream schools, Intensive English Centres (IECs), senior schools and outside school, so young people's ages often vary, and that's ok. Programs are adapted to suit young people's needs and interests.
Programs can be delivered in schools settings, including government and private schools in metropolitan, regional and rural areas in NSW, as well as in Intensive English Centres (IECs), senior schools. Programs also take place outside schools, within resettling community groups or alongside partner organisations.
Program duration varies — some run over 5-10 weekly sessions, often in accordance with school terms. Other programs take place across several school terms, or are held on a monthly basis. We tailor the format to young person and school's needs.
Each program differs in it’s themes, topics and target group. Programs engage with specifically young women or young men, or are mixed and explore topics such as healthy relationships, identity, mental health, belonging, leadership, wellbeing, creative expression, social connections, body image and gender.
All programs have been developed through ongoing engagement with young people.
We continuously adapt and refine our programs based on the needs, feedback, and lived experiences of the clients we work with. Facilitators draw on what they observe, hear, and learn during sessions to shape the content, structure, and approach. This flexible, reflective approach helps us create programs that are relevant in young people's lives, and genuinely support their growth!
School staff or community workers can reach out to the youth team via our email address (stts-youthteam@health.nsw.gov.au) to request a program or find out what’s currently available in their area.
What's the scoop?!
What have other students, teachers and school counsellors said about the STARTTS Youth Programs?
STARTTS Capoeira Program has been an excellent program for our students. The students have learned so much about the non-contact game in which the movements are embraced with music and singing. The project has helped the students strengthen their identities, confidence and talents. They have formed healthy relationships by expressing themselves and respecting others through their movements and contributions in Capoeira Angola.
ESL Teacher
One of the most important things that the program and the facilitators did was to give them those strategies that would help them bounce back. Build resilience. You know, we talked about how it’s okay to feel low. Life has its ups and down. We all have our days. But then these strategies were introduced to them in a way that gave them the ability to bounce back. What I liked was how the importance was given to normalise those lows but also indicating the importance of building resilience.
Refugee Support Officer
The program was essential because it’s not in the curriculum. Topics like mental health and stigma are so important and helping them understand that it’s not a bad thing to ask for help. One of the facilitators gave them a small card sort of thing with contact information of different resources. I loved that. It’s good for them to have that. And telling them that men can cry and teaching them about self-care. So many important lessons. “Like telling them that it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to feel stress but, we need to do something to address it and take care of ourselves. And having those conversations and activities around exploring those topics more in depth. That’s why this program is important.
Student Support Officer
First off, the program was so different to the normal school routine. The facilitators were external. They were not teachers from the school. I think the kids responded to that better. I don’t know why exactly but the program is special you know. It’s not something ordinary. The topics covered were not really taught in school and the facilitators organised these interesting interactive activities that got them engaging in a different way.
Refugee Support Officer
