Partnering with Just Reinvest NSW, philanthropy, government and community they’ve been implementing the Maranguka Justice Reinvestment project aimed at growing Bourke’s kids up safe, smart and strong.

In this short time this approach is already showing signs of increasing the safety of the community, increasing youth engagement and strengthening families with a special focus on the role of men in the community.  Based on the outcomes achieved by the community to date, the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments have recently announced $1.8 million in funding to support the ongoing implementation of the project as part of the Stronger Places, Stronger People initiative.

Mark Coulton the Federal Member for Parkes said, “This is an important project for Bourke, offering a real solution for tackling problems around offending and incarceration. Maranguka Justice Reinvestment creates alternate pathways for local youth and has been hugely positive for this community.”

This partnership with government provides long-term resourcing to underpin the community’s Safe, Smart, Strong strategy to develop a more coordinated response and realignment of service provision in Bourke. It also provides the opportunity for collective, long-term planning.

Additional support with a host of resources will be warmly welcomed to our community

Alistair Ferguson, Executive Director, Maranguka Justice Reinvestment

Dusseldorp Forum has partnered with Maranguka Justice Reinvestment since 2013 and has committed to a further five years of support for this ground-breaking approach that demonstrates the power of community coming together and taking the lead to create greater opportunities for their children.

Read the latest article about Bourke in the Sydney Morning Herald – How NSW town labelled ‘most dangerous in world’ changed its destiny