youth employment program

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Nestled in Nightingale’s Evergreen building, ‘The Local Project’ visits our Brunswick store

'The Commercial Project' takes a closer look at the people and spaces that inhabit the Nightingale Village Precinct.

Recently The Commercial Project – a branch of The Local Project that lends a focus on multi-residential building living, visited our Brunswick store, to chat about the overlap in values and approach that opened the door for Good Cycles to take up residency on the ground level of the Nightingale Evergreen building.

Situated in the cul-de-sac of Duckett street Brunswick, the Good Cycles Brunswick location has been made possible by a co-op of building residents that sought a commercial tenant whose business aligned with the philosophy of its residents, and would complement the precinct.

Through practices of sustainability, a focus on inclusion and community, and a shared for love for all the benefits of pedal-powered 2 wheeled transport, Good Cycles is honoured to have our newest home in this award-winning space.

In this wonderfully produced video, watch the Good Cycles team speak to our mission, and the connection and support that exists from being situated in this unique and special community.
"...Our primary focus is around creating jobs for young people who experience barriers to employment, gain some experience and transferable skills that will take them into wherever they want to go in the future."
Kirra Johnson
Head of Innovation and Impact
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2023 World Youth Skills Day

July 15th 2023 marks World Youth Skills Day. This year we celebrate not only our young people, but also our skilled Trainers, Mentors, and Leaders

Each year on July 15th, World Youth Skills Day is observed as a day of significance, celebrating the importance of helping young people develop the necessary skills to succeed in today’s rapidly changing world.

Since Good Cycles was established in 2014, our mission has been to not only reduce the barriers to employment, but to equip young people with the tools and experience that will serve as building blocks for a brighter future.

What started as providing mentorship and practical technical skills in bicycle maintenance, today Good Cycles is able to offer participants pathways to learn skills across a whole range of different industries and sectors. It’s through this diversity of roles we offer we are able to provide more opportunities for young people to gain the skills and training they need to cultivate their own career paths.

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Today, learning how to fix a bike is a small component of the kind of skills a young person may learn with Good Cycles. Through our City Services division, our Car Share cleaning & relocation operations, and the work we do through our Open Spaces division, the breadth of practical skills we are able to offer our Youth Employment Participants has never been greater. In addition, participants build confidence, work as part of a team, and get to feel a sense of pride in the work they do, and what they can accomplish.

In conversation with City Services team members, our City Services Manager, Mark Liddle, spoke to some of the significant skills the team had reflected upon in their roles; from the importance of time management, and utilising critical thinking and problem-solving skills, to planning for different contingencies a day may require. Team members also spoke to the importance good communication plays in their roles, be it talking to managers, customers, or other staff.

As of May 31 2023, 24% of Good Cycle’s total employees are young people in the YEP program, receiving various levels of support such as coaching, training and on the job learning. Critically, through the observations of our coaches and supervisors, over 80% experienced an increase in capabilities, paralleling the positive guidance and support our managers and trainers can provide.

"It's such an honour to see the growth in confidence and development of both technical and transferable skills in our program participants, the simple act of being given an opportunity to get their foot in the door, as well as some on-the-job support and guidance makes such a powerful impact. Our operational supervisors do such an amazing job. Providing support and guidance in a safe and inclusive workplace environment that allows our participants to develop skills and confidence, make valuable connections and thrive in their roles."​
Khan Churchill
General Manager of Programs

The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2023 is Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future. This year we celebrate the teachers, trainers and mentors that guide our young participants as they receive training and learn new skills, providing them with more confidence and preparedness for the evolving labour market.

Good Cycles is incredibly proud of our team leaders, managers, social workers and mentors that bring their passion and commitment towards helping young people who experience barriers to employment

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Good Cycles and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation – Setting wheels in motion for youth employment

With the help of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Good Cycles looks towards future growth

As a not-for-profit social enterprise, the impact we’re able to make is a direct result of the generous ongoing support from our members, our partners in local government, and the private philanthropic space. Since 2014, Good Cycles have been fortunate to have the philanthropic support of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.


As Australia’s largest independent community foundation, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation exists to create positive social change. Through their vision of Inspiring philanthropy & sustained social impact, annually the Foundation provides grants of $12 million to not-for-profit organisations across Melbourne, with the goal of promoting social inclusion and elevating the life opportunities of individuals through organisations it engages with.

From our humble beginnings, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation has helped Good Cycles in our ambitions to grow as an organisation, helping us affect more change, and create more opportunities for young people. It’s through the support of such partners we’re able to chart our future growth, and focus on scaling the level of our impact.

“In terms of how Good Cycles is helping my life, I guess is giving me credit for the for the work that I'm doing.. It's good to have someone else point it out to you but then also help you point it out for yourself.”
Lucas
Operations Coordinator, & previous YEP participant
…Overall it's like a big boost in confidence. Just the ability to plan for the future, actually having that security, (it’s) much easier to make decisions that are actually going to be constructive.
Eve
Operations Team Member

What began with teaching young people how to fix a bike whilst providing mentorship, Good Cycles has since grown to exist in a variety of sectors and industries, creating more opportunities for young people to gain a variety of real-world skills applicable to jobs of today, and the future. 

Good Cycles is grateful to have the support of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, helping us in our mission to remove barriers to employment and improve the lives of young people.

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Happy One Year Anniversary Nathan

Nathan's Journey to Sustainable Employment and Personal Growth with Good Cycles

Nathan, a high school graduate, struggled to find sustainable work. After leaving high school, he was in a vicious cycle of inconsistent work and an unstable income. Determined to work and make himself more employable, he tried extra study and working in different industries, but Nathan’s struggle continued and still faced barriers to employment . His life took a positive turn when he joined Good Cycles in our Open Spaces division.

Welcome to Good Cycles

In June of last year, Nathan learned about Good Cycles through Djerriwarrh, an employment support organisation that helped Nathan refine his CV and introduced him to our Open Spaces team. Through Open Spaces, Good Cycles created a range of new gardening and mowing job opportunities and welcomed Nathan for an interview. From the get-go, our “relaxed and welcoming” interview process made him feel at ease, and Nathan was offered a gardening role at Good Cycles, joining our Youth Employment Program.

Social Impact via the Youth Employment Program

Our Youth Employment Program is designed to support people in Nathan’s position with coaching and skills development alongside real-world work experience. One of the key aspects of the program is Nathan’s weekly check-ins with Jordan – one of Good Cycles’ youth employment coaches. These sessions allow Jordan and Nathan to set work goals and then apply the relevant training or coaching required. Currently, Jordan is supporting Nathan’s application for a Cert III in Horticulture at Kangan Institute.

"(Working at Good Cycles has) not only provided me with a stable source of income but also a sense of purpose and personal growth”.

Nathan, Good Cycles Open Spaces team member

12 Months On

Maintaining employment for 6 months is a significant milestone for people who have faced barriers to employment. In June 2023, we’re proud to celebrate Nathan’s one year anniversary with Good Cycles. His team members have seen growth in his communication and teamwork skills and have also witnessed his personal efforts to develop consistent routines. Through his commitment, Nathan has found independence, financial stability, and the means to “treat himself”.

Nathan hopes to continue his career with the gardening team at Good Cycles and work towards operating large machinery such as mowers and tractors.

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Sustainable Employment

Nathan’s journey to sustainable employment with Good Cycles highlights the importance of creating meaningful jobs within a safe and inclusive workplace. Nathan has acquired new skills, certifications and more importantly, a sense of belonging. He added that his experience with the team and Jordan has “provided him with a stable source of income and a sense of purpose and personal growth”.

Nathan’s dedication to his job has not gone unnoticed. His manager, Brett, has praised him for his reliability, for never being late to work, and for never missing a day since he started.

“I love my job with Good Cycles, it has allowed me to see myself in the future and gain the qualifications needed to get there.” ~ Nathan