Eleven not-for-profit organisations will share more than $2 million to deliver face-to-face youth programs across New South Wales, ranging from sport and mentoring to creative workshops and culturally safe community activities.
The funding has been awarded through the NSW Government’s Connect IRL Grants Program, which is designed to help young people build friendships, confidence and a stronger sense of belonging away from social media and other screen-based activities.
The successful projects will operate across metropolitan, regional and remote communities, including Lakemba, Mount Druitt, Newtown, Parramatta, Newcastle, the Riverina, the North Coast and western NSW.
The grants have been awarded, but many of the projects are still moving into implementation and will be delivered progressively over the next two years.
Eleven organisations selected from 285 applications
Applications for the Connect IRL program opened on 24 November 2025 and closed on 20 January 2026.
The NSW Government received 285 applications, with 11 organisations ultimately selected through a competitive assessment process.
Individual grants ranged from $10,000 to $250,000.
The program was open to eligible not-for-profit organisations with demonstrated experience delivering services in NSW.
Applicants were assessed on their ability to support young people who may be vulnerable, geographically isolated, marginalised or from diverse communities.
They were also expected to demonstrate meaningful consultation and co-design with young people, rather than developing activities without youth input.
Program developed following youth feedback
The government says Connect IRL was developed in response to feedback gathered through the NSW Social Media Summit.
Young participants called for more accessible ways to meet others, build community and take part in meaningful activities outside school and online environments.
The funded projects are therefore intended to provide regular, structured opportunities for connection rather than simply asking young people to reduce their screen time.
The program’s objectives include:
- Reducing social isolation
- Building healthy peer relationships
- Strengthening confidence and resilience
- Developing leadership and interpersonal skills
- Creating safe spaces for discussion
- Improving the skills of youth mentors
- Involving families and trusted adults in longer-term support
The Premier’s Department administers the grants, with funding support from the NSW Office for Youth.
Basketball and leadership program in Mount Druitt
Mounty Aboriginal Youth and Community Services will use its funding to expand the established Savannah Pride program in Mount Druitt.
The project will combine regular after-school basketball training with mentoring, educational support and a new leadership-development pathway.
The initiative is intended to give young people a consistent place to participate in sport while building confidence and taking greater responsibility within their community.
The organisation says the program will be youth-led and shaped by the priorities expressed by local participants.
Creative programs across Sydney and regional NSW
Milk Crate Theatre has received $106,678 for its GOING LIVE! project.
The organisation plans to provide free creative workshops for more than 150 young people from marginalised communities across Sydney and Lithgow.
The workshops will give participants opportunities to develop artistic skills, create and share personal stories and work towards a youth-led arts festival.
The project is designed to use performance and creativity as tools for connection, self-expression and confidence building.
The grant announcement confirms the funding and proposed participant target, but the workshops and final festival are yet to be delivered.
Safe spaces for LGBTIQA+ young people
Projects operating in Newtown, Parramatta, Lismore and Newcastle will provide face-to-face programs designed as safer and more inclusive spaces for LGBTIQA+ young people.
The activities are intended to reduce isolation and create opportunities for participants to meet peers with shared experiences.
They may include social activities, facilitated discussions, mentoring and creative programs.
The government has not suggested that online communities are inherently harmful or should be entirely replaced.
Instead, the projects aim to ensure young people who rely heavily on online connections also have access to welcoming physical spaces within their communities.
Regional programs target isolation
Community Gateway has received $182,000 for Our Time, Our Space, a structured mentoring program for young women aged 12 to 18 in Lismore and Grafton.
The program will provide regular offline spaces where participants can build friendships, access trusted mentors and discuss issues affecting their lives.
Moorambilla Voices has received $146,483 for Moorambilla Futures: Leadership, Connection and Belonging.
The project will engage young people across regional and remote western NSW in professional arts practice and structured mentoring.
Its planned reach extends across communities from Yoogali and Goodooga to Cobar and Coolah, where distance and limited access to youth services can make regular in-person participation more difficult.
BackTrack to provide device-free activities
BackTrack Youth Works has received $245,700 for BackTrack IRL: Trusted Adults, Safe Spaces, Strong Connections.
The place-based program will support vulnerable young people aged 12 to 17 in Armidale and surrounding regional communities.
Activities will include device-free group conversations, mentoring and practical experiences on Country.
BackTrack says the project is intended to help participants develop independence, confidence and stronger relationships with trusted adults.
The organisation’s grant was among the largest awarded through the program.
Lakemba youth space to encourage creativity
The Lebanese Muslim Association has received $146,160 for The Majlis.
The youth-designed project will provide a dedicated space in Lakemba for people aged 12 to 24 during after-school periods and school holidays.
Activities will focus on connection, creativity, participation and community contribution.
The project is intended to give young people a consistent place to gather and take part in activities shaped by their own interests.
Riverina program to be co-designed with young people
Headspace Wagga Wagga will develop a peer-connection initiative across the Murrumbidgee region.
The project will be co-designed with young people and aims to create reasons for participants to leave home, meet others and seek support earlier when they are experiencing difficulties.
Regional young people can face additional barriers to social participation, including transport, distance and a smaller number of specialised services.
The project will seek to respond to those local circumstances rather than applying a standard metropolitan program.
Social media age rules provide wider context
The funding announcement comes after Australia’s social media minimum-age requirements took effect on 10 December 2025.
Under the federal framework, age-restricted social media platforms must take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts.
The obligation applies to platforms rather than children or parents, and young people are not penalised if they continue accessing a restricted service.
Messaging, online gaming, educational, health-support and professional-development services may be excluded depending on their primary purpose and features.
The Connect IRL program is not a direct enforcement measure under the federal law.
It is a separate NSW initiative intended to increase the range of offline opportunities available to young people as access to some social media accounts changes.
Projects have funding but outcomes are not yet known
The grants have been approved, but it is too early to determine whether the program will reduce loneliness, improve mental health or create lasting relationships.
Those outcomes will depend on matters including:
- How many young people participate regularly
- Whether projects reach isolated and marginalised groups
- The quality and continuity of mentoring
- Transport and accessibility
- Whether young people help shape the activities
- What support remains after the grant period ends
The program’s immediate achievement is the funding of 11 community-led projects across NSW.
Its longer-term value will be measured by whether those projects create safe, appealing and sustainable places where young people genuinely want to spend time and connect with others.
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