An experienced and respected business leader has joined a rapidly growing new youth centre as its CEO.
The Stensholm Foundation at Warana has had such a positive impact on young people that it has appointed Dr Tanya Bell to drive its fundraising strategies that will help change lives.
The organisation’s founder, Leon Stensholm, said bringing in Dr Bell – the 2022 Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network Professional Business Woman of the Year – would help the youth centre reach more people.
“In the three weeks since our doors were officially opened by Mayor Mark Jamieson, we have welcomed over 245 young people ranging from 10 to 24 years of age – and we haven’t even advertised our services yet,” Mr Stensholm said.
“Every day we welcome new faces who initially come in with a degree of anxiety but by the time they leave they are feeling more positive about life and have even made new friends.
“We now need to offer more programs and have additional counsellors available, and to do that we need to scale up sooner than we anticipated. There is no better person to help us do that than Tanya, given that she has spent many years working with young people and the challenges they face.
“Importantly, Tanya has the organisational and leadership skills required to help us secure funding and manage the business as we grow and I am delighted that she has accepted the role of CEO.”
Dr Bell said she was inspired by Mr Stensholm’s vision to make a difference.
“Leon has created something that is very special and you can feel the energy the moment you enter the space,” she said.
“I have seen and heard the feedback from many of these young people and their parents. There is simply nothing else like this in our community and you can clearly see that it is working.
“I share Leon’s vision for the future of the foundation and am delighted to take on the role of CEO so that we can build on this incredible concept, adding more programs and opportunities for young people.
“Importantly, we know that the work Leon is doing is changing lives and, in many instances, saving them, so one of my first jobs will be to set about securing funding to ensure we can reach as many young people as we can.”
With wait times for mental health support services on the Sunshine Coast reaching beyond six months following the pandemic, a safe place for young people to access support was desperately needed.
Related story: Free program addressing mental health among youth
After the successful delivery of eight-week courses last year, Mr Stensholm realised something more permanent and freely available was missing in the community.
“Many of the participants would come by early to have a conversation or do some exercise and what I discovered was that a lot of them simply had no place to go where they felt safe and where they could have a much-needed conversation with an adult that wasn’t a parent, and so I found a larger space in order to help more kids,” Mr Stensholm said.
An event is planned to raise funds for the centre later this year.
The Stensholm Foundation youth centre is open Monday to Friday from 3.30-7pm for people aged 10 to 24. It is free and fully supervised.
Where to seek help:
Emergency 000
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
MensLine 1300 78 99 78
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
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