EMPOWER YOUTH PROGRAM
More Than a Tutoring Program.
A Second Chance
Children in care are some of the most misunderstood young people in our communities. They’re labelled ‘too hard,’ excluded from school at rates far above their peers, and left to navigate a world that feels unsafe at every turn.
But they’re not too hard. They’re just waiting for the right person to show up – consistently, patiently, and without judgment.
That’s what the Empower Youth Program does.
APPLICATIONS
Applications for the following school year open in late September and close in mid-December each year.
As places are limited and planning for the upcoming year begins well in advance, applications are generally only accepted during this period. If you have exceptional circumstances and would like to discuss an application outside these dates, please contact our team.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
To be eligible for the program, the following criteria must be met:
- The child or young person must be living in a stable out-of-home care placement for the duration of the school year in which they are enrolled.
- The young person must not be currently participating in a reunification process.
- Learning support sessions must be conducted in the young person's home. A safe, quiet, and suitable learning environment must be available. Sessions cannot be held at school.
- All sessions must be supervised by the child's carer or another responsible adult.
- The young person must reside within an area serviced by our program. Our services are currently available within Queensland. Please contact our team to confirm whether your location falls within our service area.
HOW IT WORKS
Each child is matched with a dedicated Learning Support Mentor who visits them at home, weekly, for a minimum of one full year. The program is built on the understanding that healing comes before learning – that a child cannot absorb knowledge until they feel safe.
Sessions are flexible, curriculum-aligned, and deeply personal. Mentors don’t just deliver lessons. They listen. They celebrate. They show up – week after week – until a child begins to believe that maybe, just maybe, they can do this.
THE MODEL
AT A GLANCE
- Weekly, one-on-one sessions delivered in the home
- Curriculum-aligned literacy and numeracy support
- Trauma-informed mentoring grounded in safety and trust
- Close collaboration with carers, schools, and Child Safety Officers
- Community engagement experiences — theatre, sport, and more
- A minimum year-long commitment for consistency and real impact
Real outcomes. Independent evidence.
Change for Youth Foundation was founded in 2016 by Lisa Honeychurch – lawyer, advocate, and someone who had seen firsthand what happens when vulnerable children fall through the cracks.
It began with a pro bono Family Court case. Lisa represented a young boy in foster care and, through that experience, saw the instability, the emotional toll on carers, and the profound absence of consistent, relationship-based support for children navigating trauma. She couldn’t walk away from that.
$5.60
of social and economic value is created
for every $1 invested
“I am so happy for him — I am literally crying. His Learning Support Mentor, Megan, has formed such a lovely relationship with him.”
Foster carer
“A child who had been suspended or expelled from school, now walking proudly through the gates.”
WHO WE ACCEPT REFERRALS FROM
We welcome applications from:
- The Department of Child Safety
- Foster and kinship care agencies
- Schools
- Residential care providers
- Carers
Applications open in August and close 20 December for the following year’s program.
