Member for Murray Helen Dalton says a team of dedicated Riverina locals has made excellent progress in bringing a new early intervention youth suicide prevention program to the area.
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Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia is a mentoring program for young people aged seven to 17.
The organisation provides long-term, one-to-one mentoring "to help change the course of vulnerable young people's lives".
Ms Dalton said the Murrumbidgee region's suicide rate was among the highest in Australia.
"We need more services for our young people in distress," she said.
"There are some people who are just sick of hearing about youth suicides in our region and have stood up to do something about it."
Ms Dalton said Big Brothers Big Sisters was "doing great things in regional Victoria" and she was keen to see it in the Riverina.
"We'd like to be able to start in Griffith, then be able to expand to Leeton, Narrandera, Hay, Hillston, Moama, Balranald, Wentworth and Deniliquin."
Her office helped set up a local advisory group that is working hard on raising $55,000 to employ a youth coordinator in the town.
Australian Air Force Cadets Flight Lieutenant Michael Borg is chairman of the advisory group. He is supported by Rachael Veenhuizen, Val Woodland, Trish Leonard, Michele Harvey, Kate Hardman, Filomena Pingiaro and Sue Hone.
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"The great thing is we've got youth representatives on our committee too - Paige Goudie, Alice Ryan and Imreet Singh," Mrs Dalton said
"You can't start a youth program without young people having their say on how things should run."
The local advisory group is planning a gala fundraising event on April 1. They have also applied for a grant under the government's Building Resilient Regional Leaders program.
"People can also make a donation to help get this program off the ground. We have a guarantee that all money raised for the Riverina must stay in the Riverina," Ms Dalton said.
"I'd urge locals to get behind this initiative.
"So many parents have come to me and said they felt they've had nowhere to turn when their teenager was suicidal.
"We need to do better and we will."
Anyone wanting to help get Big Brothers Big Sisters Australia in the Riverina off the ground is invited to contact Ms Dalton's Griffith office on 6962 6644 or by email: murray@parliament.nsw.gov.au.
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