There’s a new friendly face at the Collie PCYC, with Ren Crowe taking on the position of Case Manager at the centre.
Ms Crowe has been in the role for four weeks and said she enjoys the challenging and rewarding aspects of the job.
“It’s an interest of mine to work with the youth of Collie and try and offer them guidance and support them in their journey onto a more positive path,” she said.
“This is a fairly unique role for the PCYC, as it’s the only one in the state.”
Ms Crowe said she has begun to work with youth who are young offenders or have become disengaged with their education.
“Most of my referrals come through the Juvenile Justice Team or the Corrective Services Team and some of them through the Education Department,” she said.
“So we try and find alternative pathways for first time offenders to avoid the legal system, and assist other offenders who maybe struggling with traditional education.
“I am starting to work closely with some young people in the community and it has been really interesting.”
Ms Crowe said she hopes to work with the youth of Collie to help them find the right direction for them, especially if they are in need of guidance and support.
“Youth get a bit of a bad rap, and they don’t always have someone advocating for them or trying to help them work things out,” she said.
“If you can help at least one young person to fulfil a goal or find a pathway that’s less destructive then I think you've done a good job.”
Ms Crowe is looking forward to seeing the changes that can occur from working closely with the youth of Collie.
“I don’t think you ever get into social work for a light and easy job, if anything it is challenging and it can be frustrating sometimes,” she said.
“But I think that’s the beauty of it when you actually see someone who has had a rough time starting to achieve and you can see the change in them, that’s the pay off.”
“I am looking forward to working with a lot more young people through the safe sanctuary program and through the centre and hoping to make a positive difference for the youth of Collie.”