Young leaders from across the Buloke Shire met at the Juke Restaurant in Sea Lake on Wednesday night to review the Buloke FReeZA program, “Music, Mates and Multiformity” auspiced by the Birchip Neighbourhood House.

Those in attendance enjoyed a delicious dinner as a reward, and recognition for the volunteer hours they have contributed to the Buloke FReeZA program in the early stages of 2023, and to plan for the remainder of the year.

The Buloke FReeZA program adopts a “by youth for youth” approach to delivering youth events across the Buloke Shire, and is very grateful for the contribution the young people make to ensure these events are well organised, well executed, and well attended.

Normally, Wycheproof would host “Disturbing the Peace” early in the year, but this year the event was rotated with “Below Zero”, hosted by Charlton at the Esoteric site. Birchip and Sea Lake host “Rampage” and “Pulse” respectively in October and December. 

Partnership

These large live music events are planned and delivered by the local youth groups in partnership with the local Buloke FReeZA co-ordinator. This partnership model was developed to avoid the need to establish local FReeZA committees in addition to the local youth groups in each town, and the system has been working well for over twenty years now.

Youth groups in Birchip, Charlton, Wycheproof, and Sea Lake are auspiced by their local neighbourhood houses, and together they offer a range of programs to engage local young people in their community. 

Most neighbourhood houses find that the FReeZA program complements the range of activities the youth group provide locally, and the leadership and organisational skills the youth group members learn are incredibly valuable for their personal and professional development.

Simone Christie said: “We understand neighbourhood houses have different commitments and priorities, so it’s up to each individual youth group to decide how they want to run their events. They can work directly with the Buloke FReeZA co-ordinator, or they can work in partnership with their own local neighbourhood house co-ordinator and the Buloke FReeZA co-ordinator.”

Evaluation

On Wednesday night, the young people from the four communities involved in FReeZA in Buloke met with Simone Christie and Sea Lake Neighbourhood House co-ordinator Kellie Matthews to evaluate the FReeZA program, decide what was working well and what could be improved, and what other events could be offered to engage young people in Buloke.

Group members were emphatic about working more closely together, and to add one combined event per annum into the calendar. They also determined it would be more effective if they marketed more as a collective under the banner of Buloke FReeZA rather than promoting each individual event independently.

The group decided to stage a competition to come up with a new logo and to create a new Instagram and Facebook account to promote and celebrate Buloke FReeZA events collectively. There will be prizes and a poll to select the winning design. 

Masquerade Ball

Another exciting innovation the group actioned was to host a formal Masquerade Ball. The Ball will be hosted on a Monday night in the Term Two break for year 9 to year 12 students, providing an opportunity for young people to dress elegantly and get involved in some “old time” dancing. 

Many young people have learnt these traditional dances for their debutante or presentation ball and purchased formal wear to attend, and they rarely get another chance to dress fancy or dance to this stye of music. 

For those who haven’t learnt the dances, the band will provide instruction on the dance steps, and there will also be modern music provided by a DJ throughout the night. There will be prizes for best dressed, best mask and lots of fun competitions and prizes to be given away throughout the night. Grazing platters will be available on arrival and supper will be served throughout the night, along with a range of mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages.

Young people can follow Buloke FReeZA on their socials for more information on the design competition and upcoming events, or they can contact Simone Christie 0429 922735 to gain more information.

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 25 April 2023.