Karen Hart is frequently interrupted in her first floor office, in what was once part of the Sunshine Harvester works.
Ms Hart, general manager of The Youth Junction, a not-for-profit youth services agency that is both main tenant and manager of the Visy Cares Hub in Sunshine, has spent 11 years in the role and seen many of the hub’s first intake of teens and young men and women grow-up.
They often come back to show her pictures of their children or the houses they own, or just to reminisce.
Ms Hart was hired to steer the opening of the Visy Cares Hub in 2005. The centre was officially launched the following year and housed seven agencies: the Ardoch Youth Foundation, Headspace, Sunshine Youth Housing, Robert Stary Lawyers, Centrelink, Brimbank Youth Services and the Centre for Multicultural Youth.
The hub now houses 20 agencies and helps more than 34,000 people aged 15 to 25 each year.
Next week the hub is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a big bash. A party will be thrown this Friday to celebrate a decade of what has proved to be a very successful venture.
Ms Hart said that about a decade ago, no one was focusing on the needs of teens and early 20-year-olds.
“From standing where I stood 11 years ago … I think we’ve got heaps to be proud of,” she said. “This is the largest financially sustainable, fully independent, not-for-profit, co-located youth services centre in Australia. And all of those words mean something because it’s our point of difference.”
Everyone is invited to join in the party at the Visy Cares Hub on Friday, from 1pm to 5pm.
