OPIT is one of 53 organisations that will receive funding as part of the government programme focused on early prevention and intervention support for at-risk young people.
Youth Minister James Meager has announced the organisations that will receive up to three years’ funding of a combined $20.7million.
The fund aims to enable delivery of evidence-based programmes supporting at-risk young people to remain in or re-engage with education, develop skills and qualifications which increase their chances of finding a job to build confidence and resilience.
OPIT chief executive Hana Fanene-Taiti said the trust was "thrilled" to receive funding for the Place-Based Youth Development Fund of $123,000 over three years.
"We’re really thrilled with the funding. This gives us the ability to design what our community needs from a youth perspective," she said.
Mr Meager said supporting young New Zealanders to achieve better life outcomes was social and economic investment.
"This high-value and outcome-driven funding improves at-risk youth’s long-term wellbeing and reduces long-term costs to the taxpayer, freeing up more resources to invest in other high-priority areas."
The funds align with the Ministry of Youth development funding to support programmes that demonstrate successful outcomes and align with government targets of increasing school attendance and reducing youth unemployment and offending, he said.
The funding package comprises two funds to support those aged 12 to 24 years old.
The place-based Youth Development Fund provides funding to local organisations to deliver community-led programmes and the Youth Development Contributory Fund provides funding to organisations providing shorter-term programmes.
Ms Fanene-Taiti said the funding will allow OPIT to provide one-on-one mentoring, supporting young people with their goals and aspirations, strength in their identity, sense of belonging and connectedness.
"It will also support protective factors to ensure career pathways and really positive social networks and support," she said.
OPIT also received $75,000 last month from the Otago Community Trust to expand its community educational facility at the organisation’s headquarters based in Ribble St in Oamaru.
OPIT offers youth wellbeing programmes and community outreach to help support the goals and aspirations of youth.
"We want to strengthen their identity, sense of belonging and the protective factors that help enable them to unlock their potential," Ms Fanene Taiti said.
They also work closely with the YMCA and other agencies to also support "each other’s mahi" in youth work, she said.
These types of "wrap-around support" were particularly crucial in rural areas.
"This funding will help us really support and scale some consistency with our youth development programme, to upskill and provide our youth with a safe place to connect and pro-social support for them in rural areas such as Oamaru and Waitaki, where we don’t have the resources that the metro areas have."
The security of a three-year funding grant would also help the trust to build a more comprehensive programme, she said.
Ms Fanene Taiti said people could register for the wellbeing programmes and while they had a Pasifika kaupapa (principle) and values, they were "inclusive of everybody".
OPIT has two dedicated youth workers and aims to increase numbers "to build capability and capacity".
