Making the invisible visible with Yung Prodigy
July 17th, 2024
Meet the Yung Prodigy
Young people impacted by parental incarceration may feel their experiences are invisible. Yung Prodigy is the youth-led organisation working to make them visible.
We interviewed Yung Prodigy to learn more:
Introduction
Q: Tell us about your organisation
A: Yung Prodigy is a youth-led organisation which was established from lived experience. Our focus is to mobilise young people impacted by parental incarceration. This is an invisible issue in Australian service provision and policy.
Our vision is to liberate young people from the impacts of the carceral system. Yung Prodigy achieves this through programs, advocacy, awareness raising, referrals and the establishment of co-designed opportunities.
Q: What is your mission?
A: Yung Prodigy mobilises young people to reclaim the basic human rights that were stolen from them as a result of parental incarceration.
Q: What are your programs?
A: We have a range of programs and projects including a community retreat for those with lived experience, and awareness raising activities such as a mini-series we posted on social media which explores parental incarceration from international contexts. We also have a network for young people with lived experience.
Journey
Q: What are some of the challenges you’ve been able to overcome?
A: A challenge we had encountered at Yung Prodigy was the invisibility of parental incarceration experienced by young people. Because of this, it was challenging to source the necessary information, such as comprehensive research and data.
However, through the connections we have made with both young people and community organisations whose work intersects, we have been able to foster conversations on this topic, sparking an interest to address parental incarceration.
Volunteering
Q: How do you involve volunteers?
A: Our volunteers are quite heavily involved, with contributions to project planning, grant applications, and overall strategic direction.
Q: How do volunteers help you make a difference?
A: Volunteers assist in driving our mission forward with their passion and dedication. Their contributions enable us to expand our reach, improve programs, and provide invaluable support to the young people we connect with, making a profound and lasting impact on our community.
Q: What would you say to someone considering volunteering with your organisation?
A: We are an incredibly staunch yet open organisation – we welcome innovative ideas and really appreciate conversations of decolonial and community care models in practice. We acknowledge everyone’s expertise while also valuing professional development. We do not work in a hierarchical manner.
Membership
The Centre is proud to collaborate with member organisations like the Yung Prodigy.
“As a startup not-for-profit, I knew what my strengths were as an individual, however, I also knew what areas needed improvement. Because of this, Yung Prodigy needed assistance to help build the organisation from all directions, and becoming a member of The Centre allowed us to find the right support.” – Yung Prodigy