Photo: Councillor Ross Macdonald/Facebook.
A new youth hub is launching in southern NSW as part of a push to give young people a “third space” where they can focus on being themselves.
The hub will be based in Bungendore, with the initiative being spearheaded by Bywong-born The Y Canberra Region employee Patrick Knight.
Mr Knight has been going to school, working or being part of community groups in the area for “the majority of [his] life”, and said the opportunity to give back was an easy one to accept.
“It’s no secret that Bungendore is a growing community … We’ve got a high school now, but that means you’ve got more young people hanging out there, rather than shipping them off to Canberra or somewhere else,” he said.
“But there aren’t the same youth support networks or structures to support that.”
As part in The Y’s Global Change Agent Program (led by World YMCA), participants need to develop an initiative that is close to them.
Mr Knight said he’d been working on the idea of a youth hub when he heard about a council town hall from a friend — and decided to pitch his idea.
“The responses I got were varied across the whole spectrum,” he said.
“There were a few things that people wanted to see change … [But from most people] it just felt a bit like a snowballing effect where it goes to show how much the people here care.”
The after-school program will be hosted at the Norah Starrs Community Centre.
The site used to be known as the Bungendore Community Centre until it was renamed last year after the community advocate.
While the program will be aimed at people aged between 12 and 16, Mr Knight said there would be “a little bit of leeway” on the ages (especially for slightly older teenagers).
The sessions are expected to be free and run for 10 weeks from 24 April.
It’s not yet possible to describe what the program will consist of, but Mr Knight said that was by design. He wants it to be driven by the young people themselves so they feel better connected to their town.
“Everything’s happening,” he said of Bungendore.
“But if the young people and the people in the town, if they don’t have ownership over the space, they’re just empty buildings.
“It’s trying to create that sense of ownership, and then therefore also a sense of respect for the place. You respect what you’re connected to.”
The Y Canberra CEO Kirsty Dixon said young people today were missing a third space, especially in the aftermath of COVID, which she described as a “huge interrupter” for their development.
“[A third space] is not the workplace, it’s not school, it’s not home. It’s that third space, where you can go to a safe community space and be able to connect with peers … It’s just a safe space to be,” Ms Dixon said.
She said that while many people (including families) arrived in Capital country for work or school, that didn’t mean their support networks moved with them.
“Canberra region is one of the loneliest places in Australia. This is a really strong protective factor for young people and really positive [for them].”
In October 2025, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council voted to push ahead with bringing more activities for young people to the small town, approving a Category H grant for the creation of a youth hub and activity space in Bungendore.
During a recent meeting, Councillor Ross Macdonald said the youth hub would see The Y functioning like a community partner.
“It’s really doubled by focus on, ‘Does council have to do everything? Can council be an enabler on some things?’,” he said.
“In this case, we were largely an enabler, working with a reputable community partner to deliver what is an essential service, I think, for young people in and around Bungendore.”
The wider benefits are echoed by Mr Knight, who is keen to expand the program if the initial 10 weeks are successful.
“The idea behind this program, and the way I’ve designed it from the outset, is that I’m trying to [build] something scalable and replicable … If it works well in Bungendore, then we’ll keep it running,” he said.
“If it works, then we’ll trial it somewhere else.”
He said headspace Queanbeyan was also set to be involved, while volunteer sign-ups would launch in the coming weeks.
For further information and to register as a volunteer (once the hub opens), contact The Y Canberra Region by calling its head office on (02) 6242 4040 or by completing an online form on its website.
