Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a story of second chances, a story of young men in trouble with the law given an opportunity to learn a trade that will set them up for the future. YMCA ReBuild is a social enterprise in Braybrook that provides training, mentoring and jobs to young people caught in the justice system. In Victoria, the reoffending rate for young people is more than 50 per cent within the first four months of their release. For young people involved with ReBuild, it's less than five per cent. Take Jack, who was in and out of jail from the age of 15. Ten years on, when he decided to change his life, ReBuild was there for him. He's now thriving, having worked on construction and landscaping projects for the past nine months.

At Ravenhall Correctional Centre, ReBuild staff teach skills, including carpentry and woodworking. The chess sets, furniture and plant pots the young men make are sold through ReBuild's online shop, with proceeds providing more training and job opportunities. On their release from Ravenhall, the men are given wraparound support from a ReBuild case manager. They can also get a job with ReBuild's maintenance team and receive mentoring from qualified crew leaders until they are employment ready.

Since 2010, more than 400 young men and women from diverse and challenging backgrounds have gained employment and skills through YMCA ReBuild. This is yet another example of a high impact social enterprise in my electorate.