Innovative design team share first look at Youth Sanctuaries for Bushfire impacted towns

Date: 25 May 2021 

Interior design and construction specialist, Valmont, has partnered with Sony Foundation offering their services pro-bono to help design and prepare DA documents for innovative youth sanctuaries in the bushfire affected areas of Ulladulla and Macksville. These innovative spaces will become trusted community hubs where youth can meet, support and thrive.

BackTrack’s Youth Pods will be shipping containers transformed into innovative spaces that will be a haven for bringing to life their program pillars of Belong, Mastery and Independence. The containers will have learning spaces, counselling areas, a café and an entertainment zone.

Ulladulla’s Youth Sanctuary will be a centre for wellbeing and entrepreneurism with collaboration and entertainment spaces to bring young people together.

Valmont Interior Designer Amy O’Regan, who has been leading the projects with both Ulladulla High School and BackTrack, said to be able to design unique spaces that ultimately impact a young person’s experience in a positive way is significant for our entire team.

Amy O’Regan said, “From a design perspective, the Sony Foundation Youth Sanctuary Projects have allowed us to push creative boundaries. The sanctuaries will be constructed from shipping containers, with the intent to create a model that can be modified to suit each local community and their needs. It is a unique concept that will offer a new type of ‘third space’, which is both challenging and rewarding.

“This project is an innovative collaboration between community, charity and corporate; the impact that these sanctuaries will make on young lives is remarkable.

The idea that these sanctuaries will help facilitate healing, resilience and recovery is powerful. Our hope is that these sanctuaries will assist young Australians on the road to recovery, and that they continue to symbolise support and hope for future generations.”

Sophie Ryan, CEO of Sony Foundation said, “We are humbled by Valmont’s generosity, donating their time and skills to help make the Youth Sanctuary projects the best they possibly can be. Our bushfire projects and youth sanctuaries will be a lasting symbol of support from Sony Foundation’s network of supporters for young people in these communities and we look forward to the day they are opened!”