Banksia Hill detainees say YES to learning new skills and a brighter future

Media release
First aid and fire awareness are among the skills six detainees will showcase today as they graduate from the Youth in Emergency Services (YES) Program.
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BHDC YES Program Graduation

In collaboration with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, staff at Banksia Hill Detention Centre deliver the six week YES program designed to teach young people a range of practical life skills while instilling a sense of community.

Staff and DFES volunteers will dress as casualties in a make shift scenario designed to test the skills of the young men.

The interactive test could range from a car accident to a plane crash and requires the detainees to use teamwork as they demonstrate learnings from the six weeks of training.

"Often young people in custody have disconnected from formal education and training," said Department of Justice, Corrective Services Acting Commissioner, Mike Reynolds.

"The YES Program offers them a hands-on opportunity to be successful outside the classroom, which could be the encouragement a young person needs to re-engage with textbook and other forms of learning."

Including today"s graduates, 44 young people have successfully completed the program while at Banksia Hill since its inception in April 2019.

"At the graduation today, we will also be recognising one of the young men in particular," said A/Coordinator of Youth Custodial Re-entry Programs and Services Ben Gath.

"Since this young man joined the program there has been a positive change and he really enjoyed the training.

"It"s particularly rewarding to see young people grow through embracing the challenge of courses such as the YES Program."