The City's youth service provision in Coolbellup

The City's Letter to the Editor of the Fremantle Herald about the City's youth service provision in Coolbellup, 28.3.26

Attributed to City of Cockburn Director Community and Place, Ms Kylie Johnson.

The City of Cockburn would like to provide some balance to Imogen Walsh’s article Call for Youth Work in Cooby, P7, 27.3.26.

Despite the City of Cockburn being a focus of the article, we were not contacted by the reporter to provide a response to help your readers better understand the extensive youth-focused services our team and the community have collaborated to provide in Coolbellup, and throughout the City, for many years.

The article quotes a letter written by Voice of Cockburn president Marcus Burnett to Mayor Logan Howlett urging the City “prioritise discussions around establishing or expanding youth engagement services directly within Coolbellup”.

Like Mr Burnett, the City has a strong emphasis on social investment and creating local opportunities that foster connection, responsibility and pride.
We operate an industry‑leading approach to youth engagement, including our significant Youth Centre drop‑in facility located in Cockburn Central.

With respect to Coolbellup, we work proactively with Coolbellup Community Association and provide on‑the‑ground support through our Bliss-Co program, which has been operating at Len Packham Reserve on Thursdays since 2022. This program was reinstated at the request of Coolbellup Community Association, following its earlier delivery at other locations across Cockburn. Bliss-Co operates 3:30-6:00pm and typically attracts around 20 young people each week.

Currently, two members of the City’s Youth Advisory Collective are from Coolbellup, and one of these young people also serves on the community association. Our Community Development team also supports and promotes the Cooby Community Eats initiative.

Our Youth and Children’s Services team regularly attend community events at Len Packham Reserve and surrounds, including Cooby Fest and NAIDOC celebrations. The Coolbellup Skatepark is also activated through action sports programming over the summer period.

The City also offers resident group sponsorship, providing up to $30,000 per group each year for local activities. Our previous support in Coolbellup has included initiatives such as Connecting Cooby and providing funding to Coolbellup Community Association to purchase equipment to run youth activities.

We remain committed to ongoing dialogue on local needs and emerging opportunities as we continue our engagement with resident groups and local communities.