EDENHOPE police will seek to double the amount of people it can take on its Operation Flinders program at the start of August this year.
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The program seeks to aid disengaged young people in the West Wimmera by taking them out of their comfort zone through an eight-day trek of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.
In the past five young people from Edenhope have joined police for the trek.
Edenhope’s Leading Senior Constable Darren Ferluga said he was looking forward to welcoming 10 young people to the program this year.
“In the past we have taken five people and met up with five others from a school in South Australia, but unfortunately this year the school has decided to withdraw,” he said.
“I jumped at the chance to take 10 young people this year. I’m hoping to take 10 from the shire – five from Edenhope, two from Goroke and three from Kaniva.
“We try to develop life skills – resilience, problem solving, teamwork and self-belief. With the exception of a couple participants, all the others who have done the program have all gone onto finish school or do an apprenticeship.
““They also then see us police as normal people and we break down those barriers and talk as mature people.”
West Wimmera Shire has provided funding to the program based on a cost per student basis.
Leading Senior Constable Ferluga said he would be asking the council to increase its funding for this year.
“To take 10 I now need to raise roughly $20,000 instead of $10,000,” he said.
“I’ll fundraise through the community which has been really supportive in the past. It is very hard every year to go around to the same people and there is donation fatigue sometimes. If council can assist in any way possible I would be over the moon.
“The program lets us concentrate on our youth so they can be productive members of society, and hopefully become an asset to our rural area.”
Ten students from West Wimmera will depart from Edenhope on July 30 and return from the program on August 8.