Every Friday afternoon in the white cottage building adjacent to Hindmarsh Park, the Youthie comes alive. Run by Kiama Council, SENTRAL Youth Services runs a “Drop In” service at the youth centre from 3-8pm each Friday, where young people are welcome to pop in, hang out, and connect.

At the helm is one of their own; a fellow young person with the education, experience, and passion to deliver a vital service to the young people of the Kiama LGA. At just 21 years of age, Kayla Mulholland may be the youngest Youth Services Coordinator across all services in the Illawarra and South Coast region, and likely further beyond.

Kayla came on board as acting coordinator in July 2023 during a tumultuous time for the service, and has flourished in her role.

As Kiama locals will know, the last few years have been incredibly challenging for the young people in the Kiama LGA, with a tragic cluster of young people taking their own lives during this period. Former coordinators, Melissa Andrews and Steven McAllan, did a stellar job of reaching out and connecting with the youth of the Kiama LGA, and rallying with the community to ensure that young people know they are supported, and that help is available. The Youthie cemented its role as a pillar of support for young people, and a safe place to engage with the help they may be seeking. Even as Kiama Council itself was managing the ongoing challenges of restructuring and reorganisation, the Youthie continued to provide vital services to young people.

July of 2023 saw Steven resigning from his role to take up an opportunity supporting young people in disadvantaged communities in the Northern Territory. The Youthie wished him all the best, but was left with a massive gap to fill.

This is where Kayla stepped up. Having worked closely with both Melissa and Steven throughout their tenure, Kayla rose to the challenge, and filled the role as acting Youth Services Coordinator.

Having built rich relationships with young people and external stakeholders, Kayla’s friendly face was a welcome sight in the role, and she eagerly took on the challenge. Her qualifications in youth work, extensive experience in the field, and immense personal passion for the support, development, and wellbeing of young people all combined to give her the ideal launch into the role.

With Kayla at the helm, the youth centre continues to be a hub of safety, support, and creative expression. The service has been able to maintain its diverse range of offerings that engage and inspire young people. Despite all the responsibility, Kayla remains down to earth and accessible to all. Nothing is as rewarding to her as seeing the growth and wellbeing of the young people that she serves every day. Kalya is both a mentor and a role model, and her compassionate and welcoming style cultivates a sense of belonging and empowerment.

However, such a big step up was never going to be a walk in the park for the young leader, and a steep learning curve saw her navigating brand-new responsibilities, managing staffing challenges, and continuing to provide high-quality services under tight budget constraints amidst broader council upheaval.

But perhaps Kayla’s biggest challenge has been pushing past the initial surprise that other services had at seeing a young person at the helm. Other youth centres, local schools, funding bodies and government agencies were all more than a little surprised to see such a young face at the helm. It was up to Kayla to prove that not only did she belong, she was also up to the task. 

Kayla has achieved just that. During her time, she has managed the onboarding of new staff, reinvigorated the music studio project, continued to provide one on one support to young people in need, facilitated and managed 3 successful holiday programs, secured the continuation of key projects including Queer Club with Kiama High School and Sentral Music Crew, and held multiple successful Sentral Sounds youth talent showcase gigs. Her dedication and service saw her rewarded with a contract to officially fill the role until April 2024, where broader changes are set to occur. 

She even boasts being on first-name basis with the mayor.

“Niel is absolutely lovely, and really supportive. It feels a bit weird calling him by his first name, but he insists!”

During last Friday’s “Drop-In” at SENTRAL, I had the pleasure of witnessing Kayla doing what she does best; connecting with young people. Among the multitude of her responsibilities that evening, Kayla spent her time giving one on one support, sharing her personal passion for music with young attendees during gigging and song production practice, and organising the next Sentral Sounds youth music showcase gig. 

Kayla’s passion, youthful exuberance, and personal experience as a young person is a clear asset, one that brings a fresh and relevant perspective to the role. These qualities are balanced with her experience and training, dedication, and desire to deliver professional, high-quality services. Her journey from troubled teenager to a leader in the community is a testament to her commitment, her drive, and her desire to make a difference.

“I love working with young people. When I was going through life as a teenager, I had no idea that there was such a thing as Youth Worker that could help me through the stuff that I was going through. Now, I get so much out of being that person for other people, the person that I never got to have” 

An upcoming restructuring within council will see the role of Youth Services Coordinator absorbed into a broader Community Development Team, where a team of dedicated community development workers will take on not just the work of Sentral Youth Services, but also the broader work of outreach, activating the richness of council spaces, and revitalising the community. With recruitment already underway for the new team, Kayla is set to remain in the top job until the restructure comes into effect in April 2024, after which, her exact role within the team is to be determined.

While Kayla hopes to remain onboard as a key part of the Youth Services team in Kiama, she can be proud to hold the title, as a young person, as Kiama Council’s last Youth Services Coordinator.