AN ambitious early-intervention initiative is set to reshape the futures of hundreds of young people in Ipswich, with 600 local participants expected to take part in the Isurava Regional Reset Program over the next four years.
Delivered by the Kokoda Youth Foundation (KYF), the program is designed to strengthen resilience, rebuild confidence, and reconnect young people with education, family and community.
Twenty Ipswich participants will be selected for each intake, with the first beginning this Saturday and new groups starting every 10 weeks on a rolling schedule.
The 12-month initiative, grounded in the Kokoda values of Courage, Endurance, Mateship and Sacrifice, targets key drivers of youth disengagement including trauma, low self-regulation, unstable relationships and a lack of cultural or personal identity.
Ipswich participants will progress through wilderness camps, cultural learning opportunities, intensive mentoring and a supported transition back into school, training, work or community life.
Families remain involved throughout, and each young person receives six months of aftercare to sustain progress.
KYF Chief Executive Officer Angie Debnam said the organisation was proud to work with Ipswich youth through a program that provides “a pathway to purpose, positive impact, and possibility”.
Minister for Youth Justice and Victim Support Laura Gerber said the initiative represented a critical opportunity to break cycles of offending and give young people the “reset that’s needed” to make better choices and steer away from criminal behaviour.
Named after the historic Isurava battle site on the Kokoda Track, the program is delivered in six stages.
Since 2004, KYF programs have consistently delivered reduced youth justice involvement, improved school participation and strengthened emotional resilience.
