Youth events and activities

The Rockingham Couch Surf for Youth Homelessness Matters Day was held at the Rockingham Youth Centre on Friday 16 April 2021.

The event is hosted annually around National Youth Week and Youth Homelessness Matters Day and was presented in association with headspace Rockingham, with support from Vicinity Rockingham Centre.

The free event aims to raise awareness of the issue of youth homelessness. This year's event featured couch surfing races, free food, music, entertainment, resources and support for young people.

Young business owners, creatives, aspiring start-up founders, side hustlers and entrepreneurs are invited to network, connect and upskill with our Young Entrepreneurs Program. This year-round program includes Young Entrepreneurs Bootcamps, Business Development Sprints, workshops, networking events and access to the our Young Entrepreneurs League.

The Young Entrepreneurs Program is for young people aged 12 – 25 who live, work or study in the City of Rockingham. It is powered by the team at Skills of Modern Age and Spacecube’s Plus Eight Academy.

Young Entrepreneurs League – Co-working Mondays at the Rockingham Youth Centre

The Young Entrepreneur’s League is a way for young people to begin to experience the benefits of a co-working environment. The Rockingham Youth Centre will be available from 3.30pm – 5.30pm on Monday afternoons during the school term where young people can access a dedicated co-working space and resources such as WiFi, desktop computers and printing. It is an opportunity for young people to work on their businesses and network with other young business owners.

What is co-working?

Co-working is an arrangement in which team members of different companies share an office space either in a causal, part-time or full-time arrangement. Co-working spaces connect users with other entrepreneurs and wider entrepreneurial communities, provide a space to incubate ideas and prevent burn out from working in isolation. 

Young Entrepreneurs Leap Bootcamp

The Young Entrepreneurs Leap Bootcamp is the perfect opportunity for young people to explore their curiosity and grow their entrepreneurial skill sets. In this one-day bootcamp, participants will learn about the fundamentals of the Lean Start-up approach to launch a successful business.

Bootcamp participants will:

• learn business skills and gain the right mindset
• empower themselves with all the tools needed to build a successful business
• learn different approaches to problem solving, product and/or service development
• explore themes such as lean canvas, customer-centricity, design-thinking and rapid prototyping
• learn how to effectively pitch and communicate your ideas to teams, and the community
• make friends and build their business networks.

This is not just a standard bootcamp! At the end, you will be motivated, inspired and ready to be a young entrepreneur who shares their ideas with the rest of the world.

The next Young Entrepreneurs Leap Bootcamp will be held in July 2021. Keep an eye on the City's Facebook page for updates.

Young Entrepreneurs Start-up Sprint

Have an idea? A problem that you or some of your mates have been wanting to solve? Want to turn a great idea into your dream job?

Explore new ideas and the best learning techniques that have come straight from the Valley with this six-week program designed for young entrepreneurs who are seeking support to identify their target market, build a business and increase revenue.  The final session will include a pitch evening where you will have the opportunity to pitch your start-up ideas to family, friends and potential investors.

The sprint will run over a six weeks on Monday evenings via a mixture of online and face-to-face sessions. The next sprint is planned for January 2021.

Young Entrepreneurs League

The Young Entrepreneurs League is a local entrepreneurial network for young people. The league provides opportunities for young people to network and build business relationships that are essential for established businesses and start-ups to thrive.

League members have access to free weekly co-working, collaboration and upskilling hours at the new Rockingham Youth Centre.

The league is also be available through an online platform so young people can continue to network, collaborate and support one another through their entrepreneurial journey between face-to-face catch ups.

League members who attend Leap Bootcamp or Start-up Sprint will also be invited to join the Plus Eight Alumni Network with a variety of benefits including:

• coaching and mentoring opportunities from established start-up founders and business owners across Australia
• support to raise funds including access to pitching events and introductions to investors
• discounted accounting and legal services from alumni members
• social and networking events
• peer-to-peer programs
• opportunities to give back and mentor new young entrepreneurs.

Contact the City via customer@rockingham.wa.gov.au if you would like information on how to register. 

Membership for the Rockingham Youth Reference Group is open to young people aged 12 – 24 who either live, attend school or work in the City of Rockingham and are interested in:

• consultation for the City
• event and volunteering opportunities
• personal/professional development 
• advocacy
• social change.

For more information, please contact the Rockingham Youth Centre on 9591 0836, or email youthcentre@rockingham.wa.gov.au.

Junior Council forms the first tier of the City of Rockingham leadership pathway for young people. The program offers two representative students from each primary school in the Rockingham area, and students attending alternative education programs, the opportunity to learn about advocacy and decision making at a local level. 

Throughout the year, Junior Council delegates will learn about local government decision-making processes, debating, and most importantly, what it means to represent and advocate in their community. Junior Council is run in a similar way as the City’s Ordinary Council Meetings with Junior Councillors being asked to table motions, debate them and vote on recommendations that are presented to Council each month. Past Junior Councils have been integral in initiating key projects such as: the development of footpaths in residential areas; installation of recreational equipment in parks; waste services initiatives and other youth motivated developments within the City.

The Junior Council meets once a month from July to November each year. Students are nominated by their school principal to join the program. 

The Rockingham Youth Employment Network was established in April 2018 and meets every three months. Participants provide guidance and support to the City’s annual Shape Your Future Youth Careers Expo, address local barriers young people have in gaining employment, educate and support local business to employ local young people and advocate for improved support services.

There are over 60 active members in the network including:

• Locally based jobactive service providers
• Not-for-profit support service providers
• Secondary schools
• Registered Training Organisations
• South Metro TAFE
• Rockingham Jobs and Skills Centre
• Murdoch University
• Rockingham Kwinana Chamber of Commerce
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA
• Department of Education
• Department of Training and Workforce Development
• Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

If you would like to be involved with the network, please contact the City via customer@rockingham.wa.gov.au or call 9528 0333.

The Shape Your Future Youth Careers Expo took place on Friday 28 May 2021 at the Gary Holland Community Centre, Rockingham.

The expo provided a one-stop shop for job seekers and young people aiming to find career pathways that would suit their skills and interests based on four key opportunity areas:

• Employment support services
• Employment opportunities from local businesses
• Apprenticeships – Service providers and companies with apprenticeship prospects
• Training – TAFE and Registered Training Organisations in the region.

The event included:

• Local businesses/employers – up to 30 stallholders offering local employment opportunities
• Local jobs and service providers and relevant training organisations – up to 30 stallholders who can support and educate young people
• Employability workshops over the course of the event delivered by the Rockingham Jobs and Skills Centre
• A drop-in resume check-up service
• At least two amusements that provided a learning or upskilling opportunity i.e. barista training, PCYC driving simulator
• A live jobs board with at least 150 genuine employment opportunities/roles
• A passport activity to engage young people with stallholders
• A 30-minute low sensory session prior to official event opening.

Level Up Resume Clinics

Need a hand to make your resume shine? Every Wednesday afternoon our professional resume writer and career coach is available at the Rockingham Youth Centre to put together a winning resume for you.

One-on-one 30-minute appointments are available between 4pm and 6pm. Be sure to email youthcentre@rockingham.wa.gov.au to book your place.

The Rockingham Youth Centre team has another great program planned for the school holidays. All of the workshops are free for young people aged 12-25 years. Registration is essential for all workshops (besides School Holiday Hangout on a Friday afternoon).

Check out the full July School Holiday program here. For further details, please head to our What's On page, email us at youthcentre@rockingham.wa.gov.au or call us on 9591 0836. 

Young women aged 13-17, join us at the weekly HER space retreat to enjoy a mix of workshops including craft, cooking, art, making your own health and beauty products, self-care and more.

Eight-week program running during term 3, starting Tuesday 27 July, 4pm - 5.30pm. 

For more information or to register please call Rockingham Youth Centre on 9591 0836 or email youthcentre@rockingham.wa.gov.au.

Yoga classes suitable for all levels from active beginners to regular yogis. The classes combine breath awareness with mindful focus and simple yoga poses.

This class allows growth of functional strength, flexibility and mindfulness.

Running every Monday during term 3, the classes are free and have been divided into two age groups: 

• 12 - 17 years, 3.45pm - 4.30pm
• 18 - 24 years, 4.45pm - 5.30pm

For more information or to register please call Rockingham Youth Centre on 9591 0836 or email youthcentre@rockingham.wa.gov.au.

Every Tuesday over term 3, the Rockingham Youth Centre is running HIIT (high-intensity interval training) classes.

These 30-minute body weight training classes are a fun work out adaptable for all fitness levels and abilities.

For 12 - 24 years the classes will run over two time slots:

• 12 - 17 years, 4pm - 4.30pm
• 18 - 24 years, 4.45pm - 5.15pm

For more information or to register please call Rockingham Youth Centre on 9591 0836 or email youthcentre@rockingham.wa.gov.au.

pridespace is a safe, welcoming group for 12 -17 year old  young people, within the LGBTQIA+ community.

The group is all about getting together, building friendships, asking questions and having fun.

pridespace is on the fourth Wednesday of every month, 4pm - 5.30pm

For more information, please call Rockingham Youth Centre on 9591 0836 or email youthcentre@rockingham.wa.gov.au.